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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29950635">Are there still beautiful things?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord_suki/pseuds/firelord_suki'>firelord_suki</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Attempt at Humor, Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Levi's father was an asshole, Past Child Abuse, She/Her Pronouns for Hange Zoë</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 00:42:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,306</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29950635</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelord_suki/pseuds/firelord_suki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi and Hange were childhood best friends until his father was arrested and he had to move to another city.<br/>Now, twenty-one years later, both encounter each other again and have a chance to reignite their friendship.<br/>Will friends all they'll ever be? Is there a chance to build something more?</p><p>Inspired by the Taylor Swift song "Seven"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. From seven to twenty-eight.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This is the first time I've ever posted one of my works online. I wanted to write this story for some time now, but I was just too lazy to do it. Well, now is finished, so enjoy!</p><p>I know Coffeeshop-owner Levi is kinda clichê but I just love it so much I had to use it.</p><p>English is not my first language, so please excuse any grammar mistakes.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i> The sun was high in the sky the day before Levi's life changed forever. The heat was almost unbearable. Levi was swinging back and forth in a tree branch, but his hands were getting sweaty, so he let go before he could fall off. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi landed gracefully on the ground, bending his knees with the impact. He wiped the sweat off his hands in his clothes, hissing at the stain left in the light blue shorts.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Hey, Levi!" Hange screamed and Levi turned around to look at her. "Look how high I can go!" She was playing in the swing attached to the tree.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>In Levi's seven-year-old mind, Hange was getting so high, he thought she could break some kind of record. His heart raced thinking about the possibility of Hange falling and hurting herself. He would have to buy all the candy in the world for her, she was especially annoying when she was hurt. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Before Levi could voice his thoughts, Hange's dog, Winston, came running in front of the swing. Hange's eyes widened and she put her feet on the ground to try and stop before hitting the dog.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>She didn't hit the dog, it ran away when it noticed the girl flying towards it. However, the friction Hange created with her foot wasn't enough to stop the momentum. She fell off the swing with a painful sound.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi ran to Hange when he noticed the tears building up in her eyes, big enough to block her vision.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Are you hurt?" He kneeled beside her.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hange adjusted her sitting position and showed Levi her scraped knees and hands. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"It burns!" She finally let the tears run down her face and began wailing.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi grabbed the water bottle hanging by a thread in his neck and washed her wounded knees and hands, cleaning the grains of sand away from her skin. There was some blood, but not a lot, it probably stings more than it looks. Levi used the clean part of his shirt to wipe the excess water and blood off her skin. Hange's cries had gone down, now she was just silently whimpering while watching Levi tending her injuries.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"There, there..." He patted her back, mimicking his mother's mannerisms. "I told you thousands of times to be more careful."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"But I wanted to show you how high I could get."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I already know how high you can get. You do this all the time." Levi rolled his eyes.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Hange?" Hange's mom, Alicia, was walking towards them. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Alicia was probably startled by her daughter's screams of pain because she looked disheveled. Her dark auburn hair, just like Hange's, was a mess, and she still wore her white painting apron, stained with different colors from her latest project.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Oh no!" she said when she reached the kids and noticed Hange's wounds. "Are you okay, dear?" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hange nodded and tried to smile, but it didn't reach red puffy eyes, Levi noticed. Hange's mom must have noticed it too, cause she grabbed Hange's hand and pulled her up.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Let's go inside and clean this mess."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"No, mom! I don't wanna go inside, I wanna keep playing." Hange protested and resisted her mother's tug. "Levi already cleaned it, look." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>She balanced herself on only one foot and brought one knee up to show her mother. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Hange, we need to clean it properly, with water and soap so it doesn't get infected. Now c'mon!"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"But I wanna play more." She elongated the last syllable and fought against her mother's grip. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"It's okay Hange. We can play more tomorrow." Levi assured her. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hange pouted but finally obliged her mom and started walking home. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi wanted to keep playing with her, but he also wanted to go home and take a shower before his father arrived and saw the state he was in. Before Levi could leave, Hange turned around and waved him goodbye. Her brownish-alburn hair looked almost orange in the sunlight, and some of the curls slipped off her long braid and framed her face.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Bye Levi, we'll play hide and seek tomorrow. I'll find you so fast this time, you'll see it."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi smiled and waved back. Hange could never find him, he'd always give up after half an hour of waiting. They had agreed some time ago that Levi should do the seeking, seeing as Hange sucked at it. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi turned around and started walking away to his own house. But the smile he held because of his last interaction with Hange faded once he noticed that his father's car was parked in the garage. His heart started beating fast again. Maybe he could sneak in without being noticed. As the garage gates were closing, Levi ran to the door, opening and closing it without making a sound. He must have been out of luck that day, cause his father caught him as he was coming in. Levi felt his father's eyes taking in his shorts dirty with mud and his white t-shirt stained with Hange's blood. His breath quickened as he followed his father's gaze to the dirty shoes he was wearing.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'm sorry. I'm gonna clean it." His father unbuckled his belt and held it in a loop between his thumb and his forefinger.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You better clean it. And I'll stay while you do it to make sure you cleaned it right."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi learned a long time ago that it didn't matter if he cleaned it right, his father would still hurt him in the end. He would make sure none of the marks would be visible and that Levi would never tell his mom.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"She will never believe you." He whispered. "And even if she does, she'd never leave me. That whore should be thanking me for taking you two in."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Now, Levi didn't know what the word whore meant, but the way his father said it indicated it was something bad.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>So Levi did try to clean it, but he made a bit of a mess with the water while wiping the floor. His father was probably drunk that day, cause, he hit Levi twice in the forearm where anyone could see it.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>After his father left him in crying silently in a corner. Levi waited to hear the door to the master bedroom closing before running to the bathroom and locking the door. He needed to take a shower and go to his room before his mother arrived from the grocery store. Levi didn't want to worry her.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>That night, before he fell asleep, Levi's mother went into his room and kissed him goodnight. She sounded like she'd been crying, but Levi didn't get the chance to ask her why.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>The next day, after breakfast, Levi changed out of his long-sleeved pajamas and put on a grey t-shirt and a green jacket to cover the purple bruise in his arm. It was raining that day, so nobody would question his choice of clothes. His mother left him at Hange's house before going to work, she worked at the daycare till 2 p.m. and had asked Alicia to look after Levi during the summer vacation. He found Hange in the living room building a pillow fort. Taking a glance at his friend, Levi noticed the small band-aids attached to her hands and knees.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"LEVI!" She screamed and hugged him tightly. She let go quickly, not giving him time to react. "It's raining outside, so mom let me build a fort."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Don't you wanna play in the rain?" Levi asked, not because he liked the idea of getting soaked and dirty, but because Hange always loved playing outside, running around in the rain, making mud cakes, and jumping in pools of water.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Mom won't let me since I got sick last time." He remembered that. Hange was sick the next day, so Levi sat next to her in bed and they watched power rangers all day.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"But hey," She whispered as she sat down in her fort. Levi sat down next to her. "I found this in my dad's desk." She showed him a movie case.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"The Haunting." It’s a horror movie.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Let's watch it. My mom won't find out." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi agreed because he couldn't say no to Hange, and also because he was as curious to watch it as her.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hange put the tape in the VHS and lay down next to Levi. She used one blanket to cover both of their bodies and stared intensely at the TV. Both children were staring wide-eyed at the screen, scared, but deeply involved to look away. It was only when they screamed for the first time, after the first jump-scare, that Hange's mom found out what they were watching. Alicia scolded them and took their TV privileges for the rest of the day. Levi didn't care, if there's was one thing he did learn from his friendship with Hange was that the girl could find other ways to have fun.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Hey, Levi," Hange called out. She was laying down and coloring a weird drawing of a cat. "Do you think your house is haunted?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi looked up from his drawing. "What?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You know," She stared at him. "You keep showing up with these bruises, maybe the ghosts punch you while you're asleep." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi's blood turned to ice. "That's the dumbest idea you ever had." He tried to keep his voice calm. "I think I would notice if a ghost tried to punch me... I just hurt myself around the house, that's all."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I don't think so." She looked down and resumed her drawing. "I think the ghosts use you as a punching bag. And if your house is haunted, that'd explain why your dad is always mad with you."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi stayed silent, he didn't know what else to say. He never realized how perceptive Hange was.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>About an hour later, Hange's mom called them to eat lunch, and even after the rain had stopped, Levi and Hange kept playing hide and seek inside. Levi hid in the closet inside Hange's dad's office. Needless to say, Hange didn't find him. In the afternoon, Hange wanted to have a tea party, so Alicia brewed some chamomile tea while Levi and Hange set the miniature table and rounded it with stuffed animals. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>What happened the rest of the day was a blur. Levi's mom had come to get him after work, but Alicia wanted to talk to her, so they let Levi and Hange play some more. Levi only noticed it was dark outside after he heard the door opening and saw Hange's dad coming in. The man greeted Levi and Hange and then went straight to his office, where his wife and Levi's mom were talking. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>After a while, all three adults were standing in front of Levi, asking him questions his father threatened him to keep quiet about. Levi's mom was crying and Hange, not understanding all the commotion around her, hugged her mom's skirt.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>When they found Levi's bruises, that's when they called the cops. The last thing Levi remembers from that day was Hange waving him goodbye as he entered the police car with his mom, and a nice lady asking him more questions about his injuries.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi barely saw Hange the week after his father's arrest. He helped his mom pack his clothes and was too tired to play afterward. He missed his friend a lot, when he was with her, it was always fun. She always came up with new games to play and Levi was never bored, or sad.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi didn't cry when his mom said they were moving out of the house. "Is our new house still close to Hange's?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His mother brushed his hair away from his face. "No, dear... We moving in with your uncle Kenny. Remember him?" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi remembered, but that couldn't be right. Uncle Kenny lived in New York, hours away from here.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"But," He tried to hold back his tears. "We can still come to visit Hange, right?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Of course." She smiled, but Levi didn't believe her.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>The day he moved out of his home, Hange was waiting for him outside. She hugged him close and cried on his shoulder, leaving tear stains on his clean clothes. Even though his father wasn't here to get mad at the gesture, Levi still shuddered.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Here." She finally let go and handed him a movie case. "For you to finish later." It was the VHS tape of the Haunting.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"My mom said we'll visit soon." Levi tried to think of the good things so he wouldn't cry again.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Maybe you can come for Christmas and then we can celebrate your birthday. I'll throw you a tea party." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi smiled, he would like that.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hange was waving him goodbye again. Only back then, he didn't know it was the last time for almost 21 years. Levi hated the sight of it, he was getting too used to biding her farewell. </i>
</p><hr/><p>Levi didn't like to reminiscent about the past, he didn't see the point of grieving for something he couldn't change. That's why when he woke up that day with a single tear rolling down his right eye, he didn't even try to remember his dream.</p><p>Sitting up straight, Levi grabbed his phone from the nightstand. 4:34 a.m. Almost time for him to wake up. Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, Levi went for a morning run. The sun wasn't out yet, so he relied on the lampposts around the park for his safety.</p><p>He decided to head back home the moment the sun started to rise. He took a shower and got ready for work. When he arrived at the cafe, he noticed Petra, Oluo, and Eld waiting for him at the back entrance.</p><p>"Where's Gunther?" He asked while he unlocked the door.</p><p>"He said he got stuck in traffic, I don't think he'll get here until 8:30." Levi let out an annoyed grunt.</p><p>"Let's hope he does."</p><p>Levi waited for Gunther for almost an hour while they got the shop ready for opening. Petra was baking the cookie dough Levi made last night after closing while also finishing the decoration on some cakes before putting them on the stand. Oluo was filling the expresso machine, Eld was getting the rest of the supplies from the pantry, and Levi was putting the chairs down around the tables, wiping them in the process.</p><p>"He still not here?" Petra asked from the kitchen.</p><p>"No, we'll just have to start without him." Levi said and turned the small sigh at the door from "closed" to "open."</p><p>Soon enough, their first customers arrived. To Levi's pleasure, most of them were regulars. He was quite proud of himself for gathering such a loyal following. Due to the short staff, Levi was working behind the register taking orders while Oluo helped make the drinks.</p><p>It was only half an hour later that Erwin arrived. Levi met Erwin in his junior year in high school and both of them went to law school together. Even though Levi dropped out after his second year due to his mother's passing, both men still kept a close friendship. Well, it did help that Erwin was Levi's business partner. While Erwin didn't exactly work at the cafe, he was responsible for most of the funding.</p><p>After Kuchel Ackerman's death, Levi was in a pretty dark place. This cafe belonged to his mother and he didn't know what to do with it without her. Erwin helped him gather the courage to re-start. He funded the renovations and helped him look for new employees. Five years later, Levi felt proud. He hoped his mother felt the same, wherever she was.<br/>
Levi began preparing Erwin's drink, he didn't need to ask what the blond was having, he already knew his friend wanted a black coffee with one sugar.</p><p>"Good morning, Levi."</p><p>"Morning." He handed the drink to Erwin.</p><p>"Where's Gunther?"</p><p>"The dumbass is late, caught in the traffic."</p><p>"Ah, give him a break. That could have happened to anyone." Erwin sipped his drink, humming in approval.</p><p>"That's not the first time this happens, he should have adjusted by now."</p><p>Levi heard the door open, but Erwin was blocking his vision. He only managed to take a look at his new customer when the idiot dropped something on the floor, making a loud sound and attracting the attention of the rest of the people in the cafe.</p><p>After Erwin turned around to look at the noise, Levi caught a glimpse of the messy woman at the entrance. She was wearing a camel winter coat and dark grey pants, her messy ponytail had loose curls that frame her face and bangs that almost covered her eyes.</p><p>Erwin helped her get most of the stuff she dropped, she carried a bunch of books and journals. Honestly, she looked like an exhausted college student, so Levi tried not to judge her much.</p><p>"Thank you." Her voice was hoarse but she still managed a tired smile.</p><p>She got up, went to place her order, and dropped her things at the counter. Only now that the woman was standing before Levi that he noticed the familiarity of her face. The tanned shade of her skin, the almond shape and the burgundy shade of her eyes. Also, the brownish-auburn color of her hair was familiar.</p><p>"L-Levi?" She asked, voice cracking.</p><p>Levi was startled. "Do I know you?" His eyes narrowed for a moment, before returning to his familiar scowl.</p><p>"You don't remember me, huh? That's embarrassing..." She chuckled.</p><p>Levi felt his cheeks heat up. It was embarrassing, not just for her, but for both of them. He only hoped that she wasn't a past lover of any sorts.</p><p>"I'm Hange. Hange Zoe." He faintly recognized that name. "We were neighbors, like, twenty years ago." She smiled.</p><p>Twenty years ago. That was back when he still lived with his father, it wasn't the type of memory he wanted to resurface. He vaguely remembered the girl next door and how she was always enthusiastic but terrible at playing hide and seek.</p><p>"Hange, huh? What, got tired of sucking at hide and seek that now you got four-eyes?"</p><p>"Levi!" Erwin reprimanded him, surprised that he would insult a customer, even if the said customer was an old friend.</p><p>To the man surprised, Hange just laughed. What a weird woman.</p><p>"You would think that, huh?" She smiled. "Truth is, I'm still as bad as always."</p><p>"Guess some things never change." He kept a straight face but was curious about Hange's whereabouts these last twenty or so years.</p><p>"You know what? I always wondered what happened after you moved out.” Hange voiced his thoughts. “But you seem to be doing good. Somehow working in a cafe makes sense, you always loved our tea parties."</p><p>Erwin laughed but tried to contain it when Levi shot him a death glare. "I'm sorry, it's just hard to imagine Levi having a tea party."</p><p>"I know! I hardly recognize him with this scowl on his face. What happened, are you holding a big shit?"</p><p>Erwin laughed again, this time he didn't try to contain himself. "Hi, I'm Erwin Smith." He extended his hand and Hange shook it. " Levi's friend."</p><p>"Nice to meet you. I'm surprised to know that he has friends, he was always so closed off."</p><p>"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here."</p><p>"He's still very much a private person, but some of us manage to get through his thick exterior." They ignored him again. Idiots.</p><p>"Hey, shitty-glasses, are you gonna order or not?" Levi pointed at the small line that gattered behind Hange.</p><p>"Hmm?" She hummed distractedly and then turned to face him again. "Calm down midget, I'll order."</p><p>"I like this one," Erwin said and went back to sipping his drink.</p><p>"I want a latte with an extra espresso shot." Hange smiled.</p><p>"Anything else?" She shooked her head.</p><p>Levi went back to start her drink, leaving Oluo and a late Gunther to tend to the other customers.</p><p>"How much?" She asked once he handed her the drink.</p><p>"Don't worry about it. Old friends discount." He grinned at her surprised expression.</p><p>"Hm, let me pay you back then, let's say..." She sipped her coffee. "Drinks tonight?" She smiled while waiting for his response.</p><p>Levi's first instinct would have been to say no, but this was no regular situation. He didn't know Hange very well. Hell, he didn't even remember her that much. But she was once a friend he held dear, so he would entertain her for tonight. He'd probably never see her again after this.</p><p>"Alright. We close at eight."</p><p>"Perfect. It's a date." She turned around searching for Erwin. "You're welcome to come, Levi's only other friend."</p><p>Has the definition of date changed in the last twenty years?</p><p>"I'll be happy too."</p><p>"I'll go now. Can't be late in the first week." She grabbed her things, juggling the books, the journals, and the coffee in her hands.</p><p>"Old friend discount, hm?" Erwin said once Hange was out of the cafe.</p><p>"Shut up. Don't you have to go to work?" Erwin laughed but raised his hands in a defeated-fashion.</p><p>"I'm going, but I'll be back for our date."</p><p>"Ass." Levi watched the other man leave the shop and then went back to work.</p><p>"Gunther, a word?" Levi called as he passed Gunther on the way to his office.</p><hr/><p>Hange arrived five minutes before closing time. She still wore the same clothes, so Levi imagined she just got out of work too. She unwrapped a yellow scarf from her neck and walked to the counter.</p><p>"Hey short-stuff." Levi nodded.</p><p>"Do you want anything? It can be another half an hour before we can leave."</p><p>"Sure. I'll have a black coffee." He nodded and went back to prepared her drink.</p><p>Apart from her, there were only three other people in the cafe, one couple and an old man, and from what it looked like, They were getting ready to leave. Hange paid this time and used the coffee's temperature to warm her hands from the cold weather outside.</p><p>"Hey, you don't have your whole library with you this time."</p><p>"Ah, thank god." She took a long drink of her coffee, finishing it in less than a minute. "I left those at work, might go back to get them tomorrow, though."</p><p>"Where do you work at?" He asked, it seemed like the polite thing to do. And from the look on her face, it was the right thing too.</p><p>"At the national history museum." Hange smiled and her eyes glistened. "I'm the head of the archaeology department."</p><p>Levi was impressed. Hange was always smart and inquisitive, he should have guessed that she would go to college and become someone important.</p><p>"You said it was your first week?"</p><p>"Ah, yes," Hange signed. "The old guy died."</p><p>"Yikes."</p><p>"Yeah. Anyway, can I get another coffee?"</p><p>"Should you be drinking this much caffeine?" Levi complained but obliged her request.</p><p>"Should you be questioning a customer's order?" She raised an eyebrow, but her tone was light.</p><p>"Fine, just don't come haunting me after you have a heart attack and die at 30."</p><p>"You're asking for too much." He handed her the coffee.</p><p>The shop was empty now, aside from him, his employees, and Hange, so he started cleaning things up. Levi wiped the counter and cleaned the coffee machine. Gunther and Eld were putting up the chairs while Oluo mopped the floor.</p><p>"Hey, boss, I finished the cookie dough for tomorrow. I put it in the-" Petra stopped once she noticed Hange. "Oh, Hi."</p><p>"Hi." Hange smiled and waved.</p><p>"Hange, this is Petra, my baker. Petra, this is Hange, and old friend."</p><p>"Hi, nice to meet you." Hange extended her hand and Petra shook it, smiling.</p><p>"Oh? Nice to know that the boss has other friends apart from Erwin."</p><p>"You know, Petra? I thought the same thing this morning."</p><p>"Do you need anything, miss?"</p><p>"Don't worry about her, we're going out with Erwin after this." Speaking of the devil, Levi's phone buzzed.</p><p> </p><p>
  <i> Erwin: I can't meet up with you tonight.<br/>
Got caught up at work. Sorry. </i>
</p><p>Tch, unbelievable.</p><p>
  <i> Erwin: The good news is: you get to be alone with Hange.<br/>
You can thank me later. </i>
</p><p> </p><p>Levi didn't bother answering right away. He just turned to Hange to let her in on the news.</p><p>"Oi," He called her from where she was talking excitingly with Petra. "Erwin bailed on us."</p><p>"Oh no! Should we just reschedule?"</p><p>"No!" Petra intervened. Why was she interested? "No need to do that, Hange. You two are childhood friends, you should catch up."</p><p>"Yeah, boss. Have fun, live a little." Oluo also barged in to put his two cents.</p><p>"Well, I don't see why we can't go without him," Hange said and looked at Levi expectantly.</p><p>"Let's just do it." Levi nodded.</p><p>After another 10 minutes, Levi was waving goodbye at his employees and walking side by side with Hange.</p><p>"So... Where to?" She asked.</p><p>"You ask me out but doesn't even know where we're going?" Levi rolled his eyes, he was expecting it.</p><p>"I just moved here. I don't know all the hot places." She nudged his shoulder.</p><p>"I know somewhere we can go." He turned an alley to go to the parking lot. "Where are you going?" He asked when he noticed Hange wasn't following him.</p><p>"To go get a cab?" Her face held a confused look.</p><p>"I have a car," He resumed walking. He heard Hange jogging to catch up with him. "Have you had dinner yet?"</p><p>"Does granola bars count?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Then no." She laughed.</p><p>"Let's just go to a restaurant." They reached Levi's car. Since he was already by Hange's side, he opened the passenger door for her and waited until she got in, circling his car and opening the driver's door.</p><p>"No," She whined as soon as he was seated inside his car. "I wanna go drinking, please Levi! It's my first week in New York, my job is a mess because the old dude decided to kick the bucket, I don't know anyone here and I don't even have a place to live yet."</p><p>"Well, you know me."</p><p>"That's your takeaway from all I said?" Levi shrugged.</p><p>"You don't have a place to stay?" Levi started the car and left the parking lot.</p><p>"Well, not exactly." Levi glance at her, noticing her tired appearance. She had pushed her glasses off her face and was rubbing her eyes. "I'm staying with a friend for now while I look for an apartment. He works at the museum too, he was the one that appointed me to work there."</p><p>"You know, I think there's one apartment in my building available."</p><p>"You're kidding me, right?" She sounded excited. Levi glanced at her again to notice the giant grin on her face.</p><p>"Yeah, I think the couple who lived there had a baby or something, so they needed a bigger place."</p><p>"Levi, this is amazing. We could be neighbors again."</p><p>"Ah, don't get all worked up. You haven't even checked the place yet."</p><p>"Ah, formalities, my dear."</p><p>"Just give me your number and I'll text you the details." He handed her his phone.</p><p>"Done." She gave it back to him after saving her contact information. "Things are starting to look up."</p><p>Levi's lips curled up a bit but quickly returned to his usual scowl, not wanting to admit that her happiness was contagious. He parked his car and got off, guiding Hange to one of the bars he used to frequent with Erwin.</p><p>They sat at the counter and Levi ordered a soda while Hange ordered a beer. Designated driver bullshit, maybe they should have taken the cab.</p><p>"Oh, Levi, they sell burgers here," Hange said cheerfully. "Do you want anything?"</p><p>"No, thank you." He said as the bartender handed them their drinks. "This stuff is too greasy and it's not healthy at all."</p><p>"Ah, you're so refined now, Levi." She smiled as she checked the menu. "Remember when you use to eat our mudpies."</p><p>"You used to do that." He turned around and watched as she called the bartender and placed her order. Cheeseburger and fries. "Anyways, I rather eat mudpies than going a day with your diet."</p><p>"Now, that was rude." She drank a gulp of her beer. "You only met me again today, can't possibly know how my diet works."</p><p>"You had a latte with two espresso shots, two black coffees, ate granola bars for dinner, and is now eating a burger with oily fries."</p><p>"Guilty." She grinned, making her eyes turn smaller and gather little wrinkles at the corners. Levi blushed at the sight and turned away.</p><p>"If you don't have a stroke from the amount of caffeine you consume, you'll die because your heart's arteries are full of fat."</p><p>"You're too blunt, shortie. It's Friday, have some fun." She sang the first part like the Rebecca Black song.</p><p>"God, you're cringy."</p><p>"And you have a stick up your ass, I'll have to show you a good time."</p><p>Her food arrived and she got more concerned with eating it than with talking with Levi. She ended up sharing some of her fries with him. It wasn't half bad.</p><p>"So..." Hange scooted closer after finishing her plate. "Have you got a Mrs. Levi Ackerman yet?"</p><p>If Levi didn't know Hange any better, he would have thought she was flirting with him. But this was Hange, even though he hadn't seen her in twenty years, she hadn't changed much. Still as oblivious and nosy as always.</p><p>"No." He drank a little more from his soda and noticed the four bottles of beer around Hange’s empty plate. She was probably at the stage of drunkness where one starts to be a little more forward and honest. So... not much of a change from her normal self.</p><p>"Don't worry Levi." Hange patted his back in a suiting manner. "Even a grump like you deserves a lover."</p><p>"Thanks." He said ironically and rolled his eyes.</p><p>"What about that redhead girl at your shop? She was cute." Hange asked. "And, you know, she's shorter than you, if you're insecure about that." Levi almost choked with his drink.</p><p>"I'm not insecure about it, thank-you-very-much." Hange just laughed. Okay, maybe she was a little drunker than Levi had anticipated, she already started to sound a little weird, laughing for nothing in particular.</p><p>"Then what's keeping you from purs-“ She burped, muttering ‘sorry’. “-Pursuing her?"</p><p>"I'm not interested, she's got a boyfriend and it's not a good idea to date a coworker." He listed the reasons with his fingers.</p><p>"Hm...” She murmured. “Don't worry, we can still find someone for you." She put her arms around his shoulders, if it was anyone else, Levi would’ve shied away from the contact but Hange was a very comfortable person to be around. "What do you think of that girl?" She pointed at a blond woman a few tables away.</p><p>"Hange quit playing wingman." He brushed her off. "Wing-woman... Whatever!"</p><p>"Ah, I was just trying to help."</p><p>"Maybe you should help yourself. I don't see a ring on your finger."</p><p>"Levi, you shouldn’t point that to a lady." She pretended to be hurt, but her easy smiled betrayed her words. "Besides, I could have a boyfriend."</p><p>"Well, do you?" He stared at her, noticing that she was barely standing straight.</p><p>"No." He scoffed.</p><p>"What about that work friend of yours, the one you're crashing at."</p><p>"Ah, Moblit..." She seemed to recall something and smiled. "Nah, we're just friends."</p><p>Levi decided that was time to head home when Hange started to slip off on the counter. He paid the tab, even though Hange said it would be her treat. He didn't mind though, he had a good time catching up with an old friend. Levi helped Hange to the car and asked for her address, putting it on his GPS since the woman was in no condition to give him directions. She didn't live far away from his place, so that was a good thing.<br/>
Hange had called Moblit to let him know that she arrived home and soon a sand-haired man showed up at the building entrance to help her.</p><p>"Thanks for bringing her safely home." Levi nodded.</p><p>“Hey, Levi," Hange called for him, making both men stop moving. "Don't forget about me again, okay? We still have to celebrate your birthday."</p><p>She mumbled another few words that Levi didn't quite understand, something about being twenty years too late. Seeing as she was done talking, Moblit started walking again, balancing Hange with his left arm around her waist and her right arm over his shoulders.</p><p>"See you around, Shitty glasses."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Under the same... building?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hange finds a new place to rent, but there's one problem. Luckily, Levi is there to help.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello!</p><p>First I wanna thank everyone that left kudos and comments on the last chapter. I love reading what you all thought of this story.</p><p>I also wanna add that this probably won't be a long fanfic, probably 4-5 chapters at most. Because of that, as I was writing this chapter, I felt that the characters were a little bit OOC, so I apologize.</p><p>Chapter three is almost done and I think it's my favorite one so far, so stay tuned!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i> Levi hated living in New York. He lived in an old apartment with his mother and his uncle Kenny. The place was small and he had to share a room with his mom, but that wasn't the problem. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Sometimes he'd wake up in the middle of the night to his uncle arriving home. There were strange noises and rough voices he didn't recognize and Levi was too scared to go look. His mom said that his uncle has done some bad things in the past and sometimes those things would come to haunt him. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi thought it was funny, Hange would think so too. She would say, "I can believe you moved out of a haunted house just to live in another one."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>But living with his uncle was a brief issue. A year after his father's arrest and his parent's divorce, his mother received some money and had enough to buy a slightly bigger apartment in a better neighborhood. It was close to Levi's school too, and he had his own room this time.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Thinking about school was a touchy subject for him. His mother worried that because of his closed-off attitude and introverted personality, he'd have a hard time making friends. Turns out, it wasn't the other kids who wouldn't talk to him, but Levi who would scare them away.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"It's normal to feel angry about what happened." Levi's therapist would tell him. The child didn't understand why they'd make him meet the lady every week, especially since he barely talked during those sessions. "But maybe making new friends will help you feel less angry about everything."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I don't need new friends."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Why?" The woman asked, encouraging him to speak.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>It took Levi several minutes to finally raise his voice again. "I don't need to make new friends. I already have a friend, this is all bullshit!" The lady's eyes widened at the eight-year-old choice of words. Levi knew it was a bad word, his uncle Kenny said it a lot.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You already have a friend?" The woman asked once she recomposed herself from the child's outburst.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Yeah, but she doesn't live here." He signed. "It doesn't matter though, my mom will move back to our old town, and then Hange and I will be neighbors again."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Have your mother discussed these plans to move back with you?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"No, but..." I know we will, we have to.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I see." The therapist didn't say anything else, hoping that Levi would continue his rant. These words were the most he spoke during the whole session.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He didn't continue talking. What the woman said stayed in his mind. They weren't moving back to their old town. Just like they visited Hange on Christmas last year.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi still remembered their conversation over the phone that day. He woke up with his mother calling him to the living room. They were still living with his uncle back then, but Kenny wasn't home that Christmas morning.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"We got someone on the phone for you." His mother smiled and handed him the device. Levi put it next to his ear only to move it away the next second. Hange loud and high-pitched voice screamed "Happy Birthday" over the line. Once Levi couldn't hear her excited screams from a safe distance, he returned the object to his ear.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I could've gone completely deaf from that scream of yours."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I was just wishing you a happy birthday." Levi could sense Hange had the biggest smile on her face, which made his lips curl up a bit.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Thank you."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Oh Levi, I just wished you were here so we could celebrate properly."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Me too." His voice was barely audible. He didn't want to explain to Hange while his mother was in the next room why they couldn't go back to their hometown. Back then, they're still short on money.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Don't worry, though. My mom made a strawberry cake with chocolate frosting and we can celebrate over the phone."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Before Levi could complain to her that he didn't have any cake, his mother appeared from the kitchen holding a small chocolate cake in both hands. There were eight small candles attached to it and Levi could read the "Happy birthday" detail on top.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His mother started singing to him, and Hange must have heard her, cause she started singing too, her parents joining her in the background.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>After hugging his mom, Levi ate two slices of cake. Still on the phone with Hange, he could hear her chewing while telling him that she learned in school that some sea turtles could live up to 150 years.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"But not all of them live that long." She let out a long sigh.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Why are you sad?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I just..." He heard the ruffle of fabric and guessed Hange was making herself more comfortable, they'd been talking for a long time now. "I just imagine it must be very lonely to live 150 years after most of your friends have died."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi kept silent after that, thinking about how he wouldn't want to make new friends if his old ones had died. Even with the silence, he knew Hange was still on the line with him, he could hear the faint sound of her breathing.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Winston is sick." She said, voice cracking like she was about to start crying.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Oh." Levi didn't know what else to say. Hange's dog was older than she was, and Levi knew dogs didn't live as long as sea turtles. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Hange didn't mind the boy's quietness. "Yeah, my dad took him to the vet last week and they said Winston was just old."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"He'll get better." Bet even if he did, he couldn't live forever.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I hope so..." She sighed. "My dad said that we can get another dog after Winston, but why would I want another one?" She cried.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Yeah, it wouldn't be the same without him." Levi fully agreed.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>They hang up after that, both promising to call more. A week later, Levi got a package in the mail from Hange. She sent a small card for his birthday and wrote a letter in crooked handwriting explaining more ocean facts. Inside the box, there were two small sea turtles plushies holding hands.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi wished that wasn't their last interaction. At least the last one he remembered. </i>
</p>
<hr/><p>Hange was late. She was running on the sidewalks hoping to arrive at Levi's building soon. After their encounter last week, Levi had texted her the details about the apartment available in his building.</p><p>Hange stayed in the museum after work last night checking some samples. She arrived at Moblit's house late and overslept, given that, if she didn't arrive at Levi's building in 10 minutes, she would cause a terrible first impression on the landlord.</p><p>Calling for a cab would've just taken more time than running there, and she couldn't ask Moblit to give her a ride, he'd done enough favors for her already. </p><p>Hange passed a woman carrying a baby and then dodged a student on a bike. She turned left and noticed how this neighborhood was much calmer and quieter than the one where Moblit's building was located. She could still hear the traffic and the busy commerce noises a few streets away, but most of the sound was muffled with the wind passing through the trees and ruffling the leaves.</p><p>Hange could see Levi's building in the distance and used this opportunity to slow down a bit and catch her breath. She wasn't used to running like this, she should probably exercise more.</p><p>Arriving at the building concierge, Hange let the doorman know she was waiting to check out the apartment. A couple of minutes later, an old lady, probably in her mid-sixties, greeted Hange.</p><p>"You're right on time Mrs. Zoe."</p><p>"Ah, yep, that's me." Hange let out nervous laughter. "Always on time."</p><p>The short-haired woman extended her hand and Hange shook it. "I'm the landlord, Eleanor. Nice to meet you."</p><p>"Likewise." </p><p>"Well, now that the formalities are out of the way," Eleanor smiled, she seemed like a sweet woman. "Follow me and I'll show you the apartment."</p><p>The woman led Hange through the spacious common area. The room had good lighting and the walls were painted in a light peach color. Soon enough Hange was facing two elevator doors. Eleanor pressed the button and not long after that, the elevator arrived. The apartment was on the 12th floor and the ride there was in comfortable silence.</p><p>When the elevator opened again, Hange's eyes met a large hallway with four other doors. The furthest one from the elevator was the apartment she was directed to.</p><p>"So this is the living room," Eleanor said as she opened the door and let Hange in.</p><p>The walls were painted in a beige shade. The living room was vast and had huge windows and a big glass door that led to a small balcony, proportioning a good amount of natural light and a great view of the city outside. She followed Eleanor into the kitchen, the only space furnished. </p><p>"Following this corridor, there are the two other rooms... And there's the bathroom." She pointed to the door on the opposite side of one of the rooms.</p><p>One of the rooms was smaller than the other, Hange could use that one as an office. The walls were the same color as the living room and the windows were big too.</p><p>"Wow, this place is amazing." Hange smiled and walked into the center of the bigger room, imagining just how she would style the place.</p><p>"Yes, and the couple that lived here took good care of it too, you won't have to do any repairs at all." Eleanor was now standing beside Hange. "Do you have any questions?"</p><p>"No, not really, you were clear over the phone." The older woman raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Well, I'm quite desperate, so if you'll have me, I could move in by next week."</p><p>"You're a good candidate, your friend Levi put up a good word for you."</p><p>"Oh?" Hange was impressed. It was a nice gesture that Levi had no obligation to do.</p><p>"Yes, he is a good tenant." Eleanor began to walk away towards the living room again. "He has lived here for almost five years, I think. I've grown to value his opinion."</p><p>Hange smiled. Levi was probably the perfect tenant. He was quiet, minded his business, and if the pristine condition of the cafe was any indication of how well he took care of his apartment, Hange bet his place was really clean.</p><p>Of course, Hange was almost the complete opposite of that. She was loud and outgoing. Although she knew how to clean her space correctly, she sucked at organizing, ofter losing most of her belongings in a mess of books and clothes.</p><p>But sweet old Eleanor didn't need to know that. It wasn't like Hange was going to live with the woman anyway.</p><p>"I already have your information, Mrs. Zoe, so how about I call you with my final decision this afternoon?" Both of them reached for the door, with Eleanor ultimately opening it.</p><p>"That's great. I'll wait for your call." Hange cheered.</p><p>Eleanor escorted Hange out of the building. Once Hange was out on the sidewalks again, she put on her headphones to listen to a podcast. She still had an hour till she needed to be at work, plenty of time to get a cab.</p>
<hr/><p>Later in the afternoon, when Hange was getting ready to leave the museum, she got a call from the landlord. The call was short and bore good news. </p><p>Hange felt ecstatic, euphoric even. She wanted to jump around to celebrate. She would've done exactly that if she wasn't around rare and fragile samples. So once Hange was outside the museum, she jumped and screamed into the night.  A few passersby gave her a dirty look, but she didn't care at all.</p><p>She needed to tell Levi the good news. It wasn't too late so the cafe would still be open. The best part was that the cafe was only a few blocks away from her workplace, so Hange could just walk there. That's how she found the establishment a week ago, she was heading to work when she passed through the cafe windows and her body begged for some coffee.</p><p>When Hange pushed the door of the cafe open, the sweet smell of fresh-baked chocolate cookies and coffee welcomed her. Her stomach growled, only then Hange notice that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch. She would probably just buy something small for now and wait until she got home, hoping Moblit would've cooked dinner.</p><p>The place was somewhat busy, almost all tables were taken and a small line gathered to order. Hange waited in line and silently looked for Levi, but couldn't find him anywhere. </p><p>Maybe he went home early? Scratch that, he didn't seem like the type to leave work undone behind.</p><p>"Hi, Hange!" Levi's blond employee greeted her.</p><p>"Hi! Oluo, right?" He nodded.</p><p>"Levi's back in the kitchen right now, but can I get you anything?" Hange blushed at the man's blunt choice of words and wondered if her motives for a late-night visit to the cafe were that transparent.</p><p>"Yeah, I just want a black coffee and hmm," She wondered how hungry she was. "Three chocolate cookies."</p><p>"Of course, coming right up." Oluo gave her order to another employee to make. After Hange paid, he turned his attention to the rest of the clients.</p><p>With both her drink and cookies in hands, Hange made her way to a small empty table at the left corner of the shop, close to the windows. She ate peacefully while waiting to have a moment with Levi. </p><p>She didn't want to think too much about it, though. Come to think of it, maybe she could've just sent him a text to let him know that they'd now be neighbors. Oluo's words started a spiral of doubt in her head. </p><p>"Hange?" Hange was startled, almost choking with her cookie. Once she recovered, she turned her eyes up, meeting Erwin's blue ones. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you." </p><p>Hange smiled. "Don't worry about it, I was just lost in thought."</p><p>He pointed to the empty seat opposite of hers. "Mind if I seat?"</p><p>"Of course not." He nodded and sat down. She noticed that he carried his coat with one hand.</p><p>"I take that you haven't eaten yet?" Before Hange could answer, her stomach growled.</p><p>"No. " She averted his gaze. "I know these," She pointed to the cookies she brought. "Are not the healthiest choice but I just needed to eat something before heading home."</p><p>"Oh, yeah?" She met his gaze again and smiled politely before nodding. "Why don't you come to get dinner with me and Levi? I was just waiting for him to close the shop."</p><p>Hange considered. She already came this far to talk to Levi, anyway. Besides, she still wanted to have a night out with Erwin since he canceled on them last Friday.</p><p>"Why not?" She played with one of the cookies before taking a bite and sipping her coffee to help swallow it. </p><p>Hange talked with Erwin a bit, getting to know him better. She learned that he and Levi had gone to the same High School and that's how they knew each other. Though Erwin had followed the path of corporate law, he still maintained a close relationship with Levi. Hange felt a little bit jealous of their bond.</p><p>"You're here again." Speaking of the Devil, Levi appeared by their side holding a mop. Hange looked around and noticed that the shop was finally closed.</p><p>"Ah, Levi," Erwin smiled at his friend. "I invited Hange to dinner, I hope you don't mind."</p><p>"I don't," He shrugged, but his lips turned up a bit in a small grin. "As long as she doesn't get drunk and makes me carry her again."</p><p>"Well, there's no better day to get drunk than a Friday night, huh?" She raised one eyebrow. "But don't worry, I won't get drunk like last time. However, I assume it would be easier for you to carry me home now since I'm your new neighbor and all..." She broke the news to him and took another sip of her coffee, averting eye contact and pretending it wasn't a big deal.</p><p>"You got the apartment?" Hange nodded. She didn't know if he looked shocked, but his voice had a slightly surprised tone.</p><p>"I assume most of it was your doing. Thanks for talking with Eleanor for me." She returned her gaze to him, noticing his cheeks were red. </p><p>
  <i> He's blushing, how cute. I guess he doesn't like being praised. </i>
</p><p>"It was nothing." He shrugged. </p><p>
  <i> Or maybe he didn't want people to think a decent human being existed behind his cold exterior. </i>
</p><p>"Wait, what's the situation?" Erwin asked, and Hange just now remembered he was sitting right across the table from her.</p><p>"Ah, I just needed a place to stay and Levi's building had an empty apartment. I talked to the landlady today and she selected me. I will move in next week."</p><p>"Just like old times for you two, then." Erwin grinned. Levi scoffed and then went back to finish cleaning the place. "Do you need help moving in? There's a friend of mine who owns a truck, he'll gladly help you if I ask..."</p><p>"Don't worry about it..." Hange scratched her neck. "I don't exactly own any furniture..." Noticing Erwin's confused expression, Hange added. "I was living abroad for the last four years, so before I moved back, I sold most of the stuff I owned."</p><p>"I see. So, you'll need to buy new furniture." He stated with a mischievous grin, Hange could almost see the gears turning inside his head.</p><p>"Yeah, I don't even own a bed right now." </p><p>She remembered the discomfort of sleeping on Moblit's couch. She was grateful for having a place to crash, but her back would love to sleep in a real bed for a change. Her coworker had offered his bed for Hange sometimes, and she took the offer with open arms whenever she was too tired to argue.</p><p>"You know, Levi renewed his furniture a while ago," Erwin said louder than usual. "I'm sure he would be happy to show you where he brought most of it."</p><p>"Oh, that would be great." Hange clapped her hands in excitement. </p><p>"Can I know why are you two making plans for me without consulting me first?" </p><p>"Levi, a friend is in need." Erwin teased.</p><p>"Yeah, Levi! I don't even own a bed." She shot him her best puppy dog eyes. "Or a mattress."</p><p>"Not that I wouldn't like to help you," Levi rolled his eyes. "But I have work, can't just abandon the cafe."</p><p>"Well, boss, technically," Petra chimed in, she wasn't wearing her baker's apron like the other day Hange came to the cafe, instead, the ginger was putting on a coat and preparing to go home. "You haven't taken a day off in a long time. If you want, I can come to work early tomorrow and open for you." She smiled.</p><p>"Then is settled. You both can go mattress hunting tomorrow." Levi was about to protest, but he couldn't argue with Erwin's intense gaze or Hange's wide smile.</p><p>"Well, technically, we would have to go mattress-hunting, and table-hunting and rack-hunting and bookshelf-hunting and drawer-hunting and-"</p><p>"Damn, four-eyes. What happened to all your shit?" Levi interrupted her.</p><p>"Sold it before moving." She grinned.</p><p>"Jesus Christ." He cursed. "I'll go put this away in the supply room so we can leave." He grabbed his cleaning supplies and then left to get ready.</p><p>Hange finished eating her last cookie and threw the disposable coffee cup in the trash bin close by. Levi emerged from the kitchen doors a while later, just when Hange was finishing putting her coat on.</p><p>Since Erwin came from work with his car, they split up. Hange decided to go with Levi to the restaurant since she knew him better. </p><p>Once they arrived at the restaurant, Hange noticed the place had a very sophisticated yet homely environment. Erwin talked to the hostess to ask if they could add another sit to the two-people reservation. There wasn't any problem since the establishment wasn't full.</p><p>Hange followed the hostess to the table and sat by the window, she liked to eat looking outside. Erwin ordered a wine Hange didn't know, he seemed to understand this type of stuff. </p><p>Once their appetizers arrived, Hange started to sip her wine, carefully not to get too carried away again. While waiting for the main course, she laughed as Erwin told her stories about Levi in high school.</p><p>"- She was under the impression that they were going to prom together..." Hange hissed, already imagining how the story ended. "Needless to say, it was pitiful to watch her standing alone while Levi danced with another girl."</p><p>"You make me sound like an asshole." Levi protested, but he didn't seem to care that much. He had his armed bent back on the chair for support. Besides his narrowed and uninterested gaze, he looked relaxed.</p><p>"Who'd have thought little Levi would be such a big heartbreaker." Hange grinned. Levi was a beautiful man, despite his short stature. She could picture two girls fighting over him easily.</p><p>"I wasn't a heartbreaker, I never even asked her to prom, she just assumed we were going together." </p><p>"She just showed up at prom, though?" She asked. "Aren't boys supposed to pick the girls up? You know, go to their houses, meet the family, get scared away by their dads, and promise to bring them home by ten p.m.?" She laughed. "Oh, and don't forget the moment where the girl walks down the stairs in a beautiful dress and their eyes meet and-"</p><p>"-You're watching too many chick-flicks, four-eyes."</p><p>"Better than being bitter like you." Erwin chuckled at their interaction. "Well?"</p><p>"I guess she decided to drive to the school once I didn't show up at her house." Levi opened his mouth to continue but before he could say anything, the food arrived. "Why are you acting all clueless, anyway? Shouldn't you know this stuff?" He finally asked once the waitress left.</p><p>"Well, not really..." Hange busied herself with her food for some time, holding in a sigh. This was a sensitive topic for her, she thought she had left it in the past, but it still haunted her adult life. Nonetheless, she tried to pretend it wasn't a big deal. "I didn't go to prom, I wasn't very popular so nobody asked me to."</p><p>"Didn't you have a group of friends you could go with?" Erwin asked, his voice was calculated but soft. "You know, not everyone has a date to prom, but some friends go together to have a good time..."</p><p>Hange finally looked up from her food to stare at the two men in front of her. Erwin was smiling, but his eyes held a concerned expression. Levi was staring with measured interest, but his eyes were squinted with... anger?</p><p>"Well, there was this one girl, Nifa, who I talked to sometimes, but she was going with her boyfriend and I didn't want to be a third wheel, so..." She felt her hands clamped with sweat. "Besides her, I didn't have other friends, I guess they thought I was too weird." She giggled to hide her embarrassment. "Having glasses and braces probably didn't help either..."</p><p>"Hange..." Levi's voice was low and coarse. </p><p>"Too bad for them, cause now I'm successful, and I have a great smile and," She listed her qualities on her fingers. "Well, the glasses are still here but there's nothing I can do about it."</p><p>"I guess having a few bullies is a universal high school experience."</p><p>"Like you would know that, Mr. Homecoming King." Levi rolled his eyes.</p><p>"I wasn't always that popular," Hange chuckled, trying to let go of the tension that gathered in her muscles, she unclenched her fists and plopped back in the chair. "Believe it or not, when I was a freshman my upperclassmen used to make fun of my eyebrows."</p><p>"As they should," Levi said and shrugged. Hange tried to hold in a laugh but failed. Erwin didn't seem to mind.</p>
<hr/><p>"Thanks for inviting me, Erwin! I had a great time." Hange said as the three of them left the restaurant.</p><p>"My pleasure. We should do this again another time."</p><p>"Absolutely." Hange grinned, slamming a fist against her palm in a decisive manner. "By the way, we still have to go out for drinks. You owe me for the last time you bailed on us."</p><p>"You don't need to ask me twice." </p><p>They said their goodbyes and went on their separate ways. Levi was once again giving Hange a ride.</p><p>"So, what time should we meet up tomorrow?" Levi asked once they were driving away.</p><p>"Hm, I can meet you at your place at ten?" Hange suggested.</p><p>"Don't bother, I'll pick you up." Hange smiled, secretly appreciating his offer. She was growing used to Levi giving her a ride all the time.</p><p>She didn't need to give Levi directions for Moblits apartment again, he's probably memorized the path last time he dropped her off. Once they arrived, Levi turned off the car but left the keys at the ignition. Hange made no indication that she would move, but he didn't seem to care.</p><p>"Hey Levi," He hummed, indicating that he was listening and that she should continue. Hange noticed that he was staring straight ahead and was effectively trying not to look in her direction. "Thanks for helping me."</p><p>"Don't worry about-"</p><p>"I mean it!" Hange interrupted him. "Not just for tomorrow, but for the apartment thing too. You didn't have to help me, at all." Levi finally turned his attention to her, but his face was blank. "We haven't seen each other in twenty years, you could've acted like you didn't remember me and nothing would've happened."</p><p>"Like you would leave me alone, anyway." Hange smiled. She didn't know why he was so set on making her believe he was an asshole when truly, he was probably one of the most selfless people she ever encountered.</p><p>"Yeah, I probably would've bothered you until you said yes to all my requests." She finally opened the door. "Good night, Levi."</p><p>"Hey, Hange!" He called her when she was about to close the car door. Hange noticed that Levi was struggling with his words, so she waited for him to recompose himself. "You do have a beautiful smile."</p><p>Hange's eyes widened for a second before she accepted his compliment and grinned. He still had their conversation at the restaurant in his mind, that was sweet. "You think my smile is pretty? Thanks, Levi." She teased.</p><p>"Yeah, well," He turned his car on. "Your glasses are still shitty though."</p><p>Hange laughed as he drove away. If Levi was anyone else, Hange would've probably told him to fuck off, but he wasn't just anyone.<br/>
She knew that his insults came from affection, not ignorance. He was probably the only one Hange let get away with this incessant name-calling.</p>
<hr/><p>Levi forgot to turn off his alarm last night. He woke up around the time he normally would do to get ready for work but decided to stay in bed for a couple more hours since he didn't have to meet Hange until ten a.m.</p><p>He didn't remember the last time he had taken the day off work, nor did he remember the last time he slept till nine a.m. Even on Sundays, the only day the cafe didn't open, he usually preferred to wake up early to have a more productive day. Today, however, he slept three more hours and woke up a little past nine.</p><p>Levi got ready pretty quickly, so he wasn't worried about being late. He got up and stretched, going straight to the bathroom to shower. After that, Levi got dressed and went to the kitchen to make some french toast for breakfast.</p><p>He texted Hange while eating.</p><p>
  <i> Levi: You better be up by now.<br/>
I won't wait for you if you're late. </i>
</p><p>He finished his breakfast and washed the dishes. He checked his phone again hoping to see a reply.</p><p>
  <i> Hange: Joke's on you, I've been up since 5 a.m. </i>
</p><p>Levi scoffed, Hange was probably a worse insomniac than himself. He texted her again to let her know that he was leaving his apartment and would be there soon.</p><p>Ten minutes later, he arrived at Hange's friend building and noticed the brunette waiting for him outside. She saw his car and cracked a big smile, running towards him.</p><p>"Good morning!" She sang, opening the door and getting in.</p><p>"Morning." He started his car again.</p><p>"Woah, Levi, you actually look well-rested for a change." Hange leaned back on the seat.</p><p>Levi was aware that his eyebags were less prominent today, thanks to the three more hours of sleep he got. "Thanks. You still look like a mess."</p><p>Hange's hair was out of her usual messy ponytail, instead, it was styled in an equally messy braid. "But a hot mess, right?" She smirked.</p><p>Levi turned his attention to the streets when he felt his cheeks getting warmer. "What do you need to buy, anyway?"</p><p>"Everything except electronics, kitchenware, and other personal belongings... I just need furniture, basically."</p><p>"How did you get into adulthood?" Hange laughed.</p><p>"Hey, I'm responsible for things that matter. Like, my work."</p><p>'That's why you been up since 5 a.m?"</p><p>"Yep, I was writing a presentation. Still not done but I can finish it later."</p><p>The conversation shifted to Hange's work and she spoke passionately about the last four years she lived in South America as part of a university archeology program. </p><p>"So, one of the oldest fossils found in South America was of this woman that probably died in her mid-twenties."</p><p>"Bummer." Levi's been offering one-word commentaries to her statements. To everyone else, he might have sounded a little uninterested, when truthfully, he didn't want to disturb Hange's strange but weirdly interesting discourse.</p><p>"And what you can find through her remains is amazing. Just by studying her cranial morphology, different theories emerged on how the continent was populated." She stopped to breathe, she's been talking nonstop for a full minute. "Did you know we can find out about their diet just by studying their teeth? What they ate almost 13.000 years ago..." </p><p>"I wonder what they could find in your diet." He smirked.</p><p>She let out an ironic laugh. "Very funny, shortie. That's assuming they'd find my bones in the first place, you know," She shifted in her seat. "after the world has turned to dust by a nuclear war."</p><p>They arrived at the store and an employee helped them navigate through the area. Hange started looking for the things she needed, often asking for Levi's opinion. </p><p>"Ah, look at that!" She pointed to a section full of couches and started running in that direction.</p><p>Hange jumped and laid down on the dark green couch that looked very comfortable, but too eccentric for Levi's taste. "Very fluffy, great for making out." She bent her elbows to get up and look at him.</p><p>"Are you already planning to bring someone over, four eyes?"</p><p>"Being prepared never hurt anyone." She laughed and sat straight. "Come here and test this one with me." After noticing Levi's weird expression, she quickly added. "Not like that! Just sit here next to me and tell me what you think." She laughed and patted the place next to where she was sitting.</p><p>Levi sat next to Hange and leaned back on the couch. It was comfortable, and the material used seemed to be of good quality. </p><p>What happened next, he could never explain. Hange snuggled next to him, tangling Levi's left arm with hers and resting her head on his shoulder. His body stiffened, he wasn't used to this casual physical contact. Hange didn't seem to notice his body language though, and after some time, Levi loosened his posture.</p><p>"What do you think?" Hange asked, her voice was quiet and closer to his ears because of their intimate position. Levi could feel her breath on his neck like she was looking up to him. </p><p>"Hm, it's nice." He kept his gaze on the rest of the store, gathering the courage to look down at her.</p><p>"I meant the couch..." Hange giggled.</p><p>"I know you meant the couch, that's why I said it was nice!" Levi felt his face grow warmer. Either from anger or embarrassment, he couldn't say. He motioned to get up, but Hange tugged him back down.</p><p>"Calm down, shortie. I was just teasing." She signed. "It is nice, though."</p><p>"This color is awful, you should get the dark brown one."</p><p>"I kinda like this one, it has character."</p><p>"Your house is gonna look like a mess." Levi experimentally rested his head on top of hers.</p><p>"Perhaps. You said I looked like a mess earlier so maybe that's fitting." Hange got up quickly, disturbing Levi's comfort. "Alright, I'll get this one. Now, where's that saleswoman..." Hange mumbled as she walked away, leaving a very confused Levi behind. He couldn't believe she abandoned him just as he was starting to get cozy.</p><p>Levi imagined this was just part of what having a friendship with Hange looked like. He would have to get used to walking behind her as she moved on.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I felt like this chapter was a little bit uneventful, just setting things up for the following chapter. But I loved writing their last interaction :)</p><p>What do you think? Feedback is appreciated, feel free to point out any mistakes I might have missed while revising.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. All that never happened.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Levi greets his new neighbor. He and Hange have a late-night drunk conversation.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, welcome back!</p><p>Thank you so much for leaving more comments in the last chapter, I was feeling a little insecure about that one, but I loved reading your opinions.</p><p>For this update, I read this chapter so many times, but it always seems to be missing something. However, I quite like their last interaction in this, so I hope you enjoy it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i> Levi grew up and added a permanent scowl to his features. Well, grew is probably not the right word, more like aged, since he seemed to be stuck in his 5'3 self since puberty. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>When he was seventeen, everyone around school took in his furrowed brow and narrowed eyes and knew not to mess with him. Although Levi behaved like a punk, he didn't act like one. His grades weren't the best, but he rarely failed a class, and he never talked to anyone aside from Farlan and Isabel - friends he made two years ago when both of them got into some trouble with bullies.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Erwin Smith noticed this, he was fairly observant. He also noticed how fit and healthy Levi was once the boy ran past him in the school running track field. Levi didn't seem to care that he had grabbed the blond's attention, but once Erwin put his mind to something, he rarely gave up.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>The next week, during gym class, Levi ran past Erwin again. Now, Erwin didn't like to brag, but he was the best runner in his school, he even competed for the school's athleticism club, so he wanted to know where this short, mean-looking guy had been hiding this whole time.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>After the teacher called a time-out for the boys, Erwin approached the raven-haired boy and his blond companion sitting on the bleachers. Once the girls started running, the blond guy cheered for their redhead friend. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You don't seem tired at all, it's impressive," Erwin stated once he was close enough for Levi to hear. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Looking up to Erwin under his heavy-lidded eyes, Levi replied in a nonchalant tone. "Do I know you?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Erwin folded both arms over his chest. "No, but I know about you." Levi scoffed, but Erwin ignored his reaction. "How did you run like that, anyway?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He shrugged. "I just put one foot in front of the other. Repeatedly." He smirked.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You should join the athleticism club, you'd fit right in." Erwin went straight to the point.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Do I look like I want to put on tiny shorts and run around a field for fun?" Levi rolled his eyes and turned his attention away from Erwin.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Not for fun, but to win."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Not interested."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"We've got a local competition coming soon. The best schools get more funding to prepare for regionals," Erwin ignored Levi's uninterested attitude. In his experience, listing the good rewards was the best course of action when trying to recruit someone. "And the first, second, and third places get a money prize."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Do I look like a fucking charity case?" His gaze returned to Erwin, and if looks could kill... </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Why? Do you feel like one?" Levi got up, he appeared angry but Erwin refused to be intimidated.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'm not interested." He repeated slowly.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>The two boys kept looking at each other, neither daring to look away and losing the small stare competition. They were only disturbed by the sounds of footsteps approaching and a girl's voice calling Levi.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Alice got ahead of me again, Lev-AH!" Their redhead friend twisted her ankle by the stairs, almost falling if it wasn't for Erwin's reflexes. He broke eye contact with Levi just in time to grab her arm and prevent her from falling.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Isabel, can you look where you're going, for God's sake?" Farlan got up and helped her.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"What's going on?" She asked, probably confused with Levi's death stare.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Nothing, let's go back, I want to take a shower." Levi passed Erwin, bumping against his shoulder on purpose. He walked over to his friends and the three of them started to descend the stairs.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'll talk to you again once you're feeling calmer," Erwin shouted and broke into laughter as Levi raised his middle finger at him.</i>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <i>Erwin kept his promise to Levi and didn't leave him alone for the next two weeks. He approached Levi during the classes they had together while the teacher wasn't paying attention. He came with his friends during lunch and sat at the table with Levi, Farlan, and Isabel. The girl even started to take a liking to the guy, agreeing with him and trying to get Levi to join their little club too.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi denied it every time Erwin asked, but that didn't stop him from trying almost every day. Everything changed on one particular Thursday afternoon.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi was getting home from school when he noticed his mother's car parked outside. The unusual thing was that she should be working at the cafe right now. He tried to remember if she had taken the day off, but nothing came to mind.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Getting out of the elevator, Levi took cautious steps towards his apartment. Before opening the door, he heard his mother's and someone else's voice talking in hushed tones. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Shouldn't he be arriving from school by now?" Asked a woman's voice Levi didn't recognize.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Turning the handle, Levi threw the door open. His mother got up from where she was sitting at the small dining table. The woman in front of her had dark curly hair and was wearing a navy blue suit, she turned around to face Levi with a polite smile.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Turns out that woman was Danielle Farren, she was the social worker who participated in Levi's case when he was a kid. Levi knew that an unexpected visit like this one couldn't bring good news, so he waited for his world to be shattered.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>After sitting down at the dining table next to his mother, Danielle told him that his father had gotten out of jail. Levi didn't listen very further to the conversation after that, only enough to understand that they should take preventive measures to make sure that the man wouldn't bother them anymore.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi felt his lips tremble but refused to cry. He looked over to his mother and she looked just as frightened as he felt. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"When did he got out?" Levi raised his voice for the first time since he sat down.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"45 days ago. We need to know if he didn't try to contact-"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"45 days ago and you're only telling us now?" Levi hissed at the woman and narrowed his eyes.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His mother, as if sensing his anger, grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly before letting go. The motion did nothing to calm him down, but Levi kept his mouth shut. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>She folded her arms defensively over her chest before answering Danielle's unfinished question. "He didn't contact us, I doubt he knows where we live now."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Well, let's hope it stays that way. However, I'll still like it if you accompanied me to the police station so we can get a restraining order-"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Of course, of course..." His mother interrupted quietly and stood up, she seemed lost and tired, Levi felt his stomach twist in agony for seeing her this way. "Levi, would you-"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'll say here." He stared at the ground.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>After Kuchel left with Danielle, Levi got up locked the door. He leaned his forehead against the wall and dropped both hands to his sides before taking in a deep breath.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He knew his father wouldn't stay locked up forever, but he didn't expect him to get out so soon. He formed his hands into a fist, pressing it tight and feeling his nails carve into his skin.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He wasn't a kid anymore, so why did he felt so helpless against the ghost of his father's fist? </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Taking careful steps back, Levi looked around the apartment. His backpack was on the floor, the chairs were in disarray, the kitchen sink was full of unwashed dishes from breakfast. His room was probably a mess too, he got up late that morning and didn't have time to make his bed.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Unclutching the fingers from his skin, Levi forced his body to relax. He had work to do. First, he started cleaning the common area. He washed and dried the dishes, putting every single thing in the right place. He organized the living room and vacuumed the carpet.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Going to his room, he placed his backpack on top of his desk. He made his bed, folded his clothes, and dusted the furniture.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>When he looked around, the room was spotless, but there was still one place that needed cleaning. He walked to his closet and yanked the door open. Ignoring the already organized state of his clothes, Levi started pulling out everything he kept there. Some clothes were too old or surprisingly too small for him, so he decided to donate those. Some had stayed in the closet for too long and had dirt all over, so he put it in a basket to wash it later.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Using the help of a stool to reach for the higher shelves, Levi started removing his winter clothes. When he pulled out an old dark green sweater, something fell from it.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Getting down from the stool, Levi furrowed his brows and grabbed the small stuffed animal from the ground. He imagined that the now faded green color used to be bright, but it was so worn out that it took a yellow hue. The padding was thin, but it still held its form. It was the two turtles plushie Levi used to sleep with when he was a kid.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi almost threw the old thing with the rest of the donation pile, but something stopped him. Some kind of sentimental barrier keeping him from giving it away. Hissing, he held the toy close to his face and inspected the paws sewn together, the thread was barely hanging on. He remembered his mother had a sewing kit somewhere, maybe he could stitch it back together again.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He placed the two turtles on top of his bed again so he could finish cleaning his room. Once the whole house was up to his standards, Levi grabbed his mother's sewing kit and started patching up the stuffed animal. He sneezed a few times while doing it, the toy had gathered dust from his time spent hidden in the closet so he decided to wash it too. Scared to throw it in the washing machine and damage the fabric, Levi hand-washed it and hung it to dry close to the window.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Later that night, after his mother arrived and they had finished eating dinner, Levi sat at his desk and tried to do his homework. He wondered why he felt so restless even after spending the whole day cleaning. He also questioned why he couldn't just toss the old stuffed animal in the trashcan.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi concluded that trauma lingers, and so do old habits.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>The next day at school, Levi was the one who searched for Erwin. The blond seemed to know why Levi came but only smiled.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Welcome to the club." </i>
</p><hr/><p>Levi got home pretty late the following Saturday. After his employees left, he stayed behind at the cafe to scrub the floors. He does this twice a month and gets immensely tired after. That's why, when he arrived home that night, he didn't expect his upstairs neighbor to make so much noise at 11 p.m.</p><p>After taking a shower, he tried to fall asleep, but the noise of someone dragging something around and dropping things on the floor kept him awake. With a long sigh, he got up and put on his slippers. He could try to call the landlady, but Eleanor was probably already asleep. He decided to make a formal complaint the next morning, for now, he'd go up and talk to this person.</p><p>Stepping out of the elevator, Levi noticed how the last door on the corridor was the only one with light creeping under it. The rest of his neighbors weren't home or were probably already deep asleep. Levi envied them.</p><p>Levi could hear the sounds coming from behind the door as he knocked. The noise stopped and footsteps echoed. Levi got ready for confrontation.</p><p>"Hey, idiot, do you know how late-" Levi's eyes widened. "H-Hange?" </p><p>"Ah, hey Levi." She leaned against the doorframe, smiling. "How are you?"</p><p>"You're moved in already?" Levi managed to control his surprised expression and took in Hange's appearance. </p><p>She was wearing a white t-shirt two sizes too big for her with a flannel dress shirt on top. Her hair was in a ponytail, the bangs were pushed back with the help of a bunch of colorful hair clips. She also had on baggy sweat pants and mismatched socks.</p><p>"Of course! Come in!" She gave him space to enter. "I'm surprised you didn't know, honestly."</p><p>Levi walked to the center of the room as Hange closed the door. The place was a mess. The furniture Levi helped Hange pick was already there, but several boxes were scattered around the room.</p><p>"I just knew there was an apartment available, I didn't know it was the one right on top of mine." He mumbled, before looking up to her. "Why are you making so much noise?"</p><p>"Ah, I was just moving some stuff around." She dismissively waved her left hand and kneeled next to a set of boxes, cutting them open to reveal several books. "You wouldn't believe the week I had, Levi! Work has been eating me alive, and the rest of the time I was too preoccupied with the moving..." She pulled book after book out of the box, later setting them on a dark oak shelf.</p><p>"Have you even cleaned this thing since it was delivered?" Hange looked up at him, confused.</p><p>"What do you mean? It's clean." </p><p>Levi went to the kitchen to get a cleaning rag. "Your house is gonna be a dump if you consider this clean." </p><p>He walked to her and started to take the books out of the shelves, cleaning both the books and the furnishing.</p><p>"Uhhh, Levi?" Hange called, still sitting down next to the boxes. "What are you doing?" </p><p>"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm helping you clean."</p><p>"Yeah, but why?" Levi bent down to grab more books after he finished cleaning the shelf. "I thought you came here to complain. I know you're tired, so you can go back to sleep, I won't disturb you anymore." </p><p>"If I go now, you won't clean this right." He looked at her, Hange had her mouth agape in surprise.</p><p>She closed it and shook her head. "Well, I won't stop you if you want to help."</p><p>He nodded. "Good. It'll go quicker this way."</p><p>Hange and Levi worked fast. While she unpacked her belongings, Levi cleaned the place. The apartment wasn't too dirty, so it wasn't much work. He finished his part first and then helped Hange to put her stuff away. </p><p>Levi was in the kitchen placing her plates, cups, teacups, and mugs in the cabinet by order of efficiency. He had already put the pots and pans in the cabinet next to the stove, but he couldn't find her silverware...</p><p>"Hey, Hange! Where's your silverw-" She popped her head out of her room, looking for the direction Levi's voice came from. She was wearing a green bucket hat with a frog embroidery. "What are you wearing?" </p><p>"Oh, I found this in the middle of my socks." She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Nice, isn't it?"</p><p>Levi couldn't control his disgusted expression. "Sure."</p><p>"Don't judge before you try, Levi." She took the hat from her head. "C'mon, put it on!" </p><p>"No," She came closer to him, Levi raised his arms defensively. "Hange, don't." His voice held a warning tone, but Hange didn't mind.</p><p>She had a playful grin and kept approaching him. Before she could place the hat on Levi's head, he grabbed her arm. Not with enough strength to hurt her, but plenty to keep her away. Or so he thought, but Hange was a lot stronger than he anticipated. She got out of his grip easily, and place the hat in his head. </p><p>Levi tried to take it off, but Hange grabbed his arms. "Damn it, don't move, shortie." He took a step backward but lost his balance and fell on his butt. He heard Hange's laugh, she was still standing.</p><p>When he looked up, he noticed Hange held her phone up. "Tell me you didn't take a picture of me on the ground wearing this stupid hat."</p><p>Hange bit her bottom lip to control a laugh. "Oops."</p><p>"Hange, delete it." He got up and tried to reach for her phone.</p><p>"I already texted Erwin." Levi dropped his arms, defeated.</p><p>"How do you even have Erwin's number?" </p><p>"I'm not an antisocial animal like you, Levi." He finally took out that thing from his head and threw it on Hange's face. She was surprised by his action but laughed anyway. "I got his number the day we went to dinner together. He's been sharing a bunch of awful pictures of you with me. There's this one where you're shugging down a bottle of vodka, I'm surprised honestly."</p><p>Levi didn't even remember the occasion that picture was taken, he was probably too drunk to recollect that day. Back in college, he used to take on bets of how much he could drink before blacking out. </p><p>He grabbed the hat from the floor and threw it on her face again. She deserved it.</p><p>"Where's your silverware?" He finally asked once she stopped laughing.</p><p>She put her phone away. "Oh, I put it with my blankets when I packing." She must have noticed his confused look because she quickly added. "I forgot to pack with the rest of the kitchenware, so I just put it with the blankets."</p><p>She went back to her room and grabbed the silverware for Levi. After she handed it to him, he washed it and put it in one of the drawers.</p><p>One hour later, Hange was sprawled on the couch facing Levi. He was sitting on the carpet and leaning back on the couch with a beer in his hand. A stupid horror movie played in the background, but he wasn't paying attention.</p><p>When she first offered him a beer, he denied it, it was too late to be drinking. He asked if she had some tea, but the only eatable things in her fridge were the two packages of instant ramen noodles and beer bottles. Levi could go back to his apartment to brew them some tea, but he didn't want to leave. That's why he ended up eating ramen noodles and getting drunk with Hange at almost 2 a.m.</p><p>He would never admit it to Hange, but the forest green couch she picked looked good in the living room. It worked with the rest of the dark oak furniture they chose together and it matched with some plants Hange displayed around the apartment.</p><p>"Hey, Levi!" Hange called. He felt her shift her position and turned around to watch her put both legs over the back of the couch and drop her head upside down.</p><p>"Oi, Hange, sit up straight. You gonna feel sick lying like this." She made no indication of moving, so Levi just shrugged.</p><p>"Don't you think it's weird that we're acquaintances again?" She asked and tilted her head.</p><p>Levi stared at her while she looked up to the ceiling, stretching her arms up to grasp nothing.</p><p>"It's surprising, but not weird." He admitted.</p><p>He thought it was extraordinary, really. The girl next door that was his companion for almost seven years during his childhood was now sitting on the couch next to him. What he didn't want to admit, though, was that he was secretly thankful for whatever chain of circumstances had brought them together again. Talking with Hange came naturally, being with her was simple, comfortable even. Like they've never been apart in the first place. He thought it was her easygoing attitude, but maybe...</p><p>"What do you think would've happened to us if you never moved away?" She asked. The last thing Levi saw before turning his gaze away was her eyes wide with curiosity.</p><p>"I- I don't know, Hange..." </p><p>"Oh, c'mon, Levi," She pushed his shoulder playfully. "I know you can come up with something."</p><p>"What's the point? We're here now, let's count ourselves lucky."</p><p>"Well, yeah but... Wouldn't you like to know?"</p><p>"It's not like I can change the past, so..."</p><p>She huffed like a child. "We are nothing alike."</p><p>"And you're only figuring this out now?" Levi gulped his beer, his lips turned up ever so slightly in amusement for Hange's pouty attitude.</p><p>"Think about it, shortie." She finally untangled her limbs from that weird position and slid to the ground next to Levi, sitting up straight and crossing her legs. "I'm an archeologist, I study human activity based on recovered artifacts and materials-"</p><p>Levi smirked. "Get to the point."  </p><p>If he let her, she could talk about her work all day, but he was getting curious about what she was trying to say. </p><p>"I was getting there, dumbass." He raised an eyebrow at the uncommon insult but let it slip. "What I mean is, I have to build theories on human activity based on those pieces of evidence." She inhaled deeply. "So what I'm asking you do to now is quite similar to what my job entails: Create a theory, based on both our personalities, of how our life would've turned out if we never went our separate ways."</p><p>"Do you have to make it sound so scientific?" </p><p>"It's in my blood." She grinned.</p><p>"Why don't you do it, then? You're already got practice."</p><p>"Because I want to hear your thoughts about it. C'mon, Levi, is it really so hard to imagine?" </p><p>No, it wasn't. It was easy to imagine, but it was hard letting go once it started, that why he rarely let his mind wander about what could have been.</p><p>For some time he didn't say anything. Hange just laughed and banged the beer bottle against the floor, spilling part of the liquid on the carpet. </p><p>She looked startled at the small mess she made, surprised at the strength she used. "Oops."</p><p>"Stop making a mess where I just cleaned." Levi held her arm with his right hand and took away the bottle with the left one. "That's enough drinking for you."</p><p>The truth is, Levi had a no-regrets policy. He didn't want to relive the past and regret something he couldn't change. Especially since those events in his life weren't exactly up to his decision. </p><p>But he had missed Hange, and she had missed him too, so he decided to humor her inappropriate thoughts for tonight.</p><p>"Alright, look," He sat up straight and leaned a bit closer to her. "I'll tell you what would've happened." Her eyes widened, but she didn't say anything, seemingly scared to interrupt and make him give up on this stupid idea.</p><p>It was probably Levi's drunk state messing with his head because otherwise, he would never have said those next words.</p><p>"Let's pretend for a minute that my father wasn't an asshole..." He started, sliding his right hand from where it grabbed her forearm and reaching for her fingers. The movement was almost automatic. "We would have stayed friends, not just because I enjoy your company, but because we were neighbors, it'd be hard to run away from you."</p><p>She smiled. "Yeah, I wouldn't let you get away from me that easily."</p><p>"We would walk to school together every day. You'd help me with the shit I didn't understand or with the classes I had trouble with. And in return, I'd confront anyone that ever made fun of you." </p><p>She giggled quietly. "My knight in shining armor." When her fingers started playing with his, Levi finally realized their hands were still touching.</p><p>"More like a troubled kid." He didn't try to pull his hand off hers, he didn't want to be away from her touch. "I'd have taken you to prom. All that cliche shit you watched in movies."</p><p>"Would you bring me flowers too?" He nodded, looking at their intertwined fingers and squeezing her hand lightly.</p><p>"Hm," He hummed in agreement "Geraniums... They're colorful, remind me of you." Hange kept quiet, so Levi continued. "I'd follow you to college, wherever you wanted to go. I have never been particularly interested in studying, dropped out in my second year of law school, but I'd still want to be by your side."</p><p>"I'd have made your life miserable." She laughed. "You think I'm a mess now, but I was way worse in college."</p><p>"It doesn't matter, I'd still do it."</p><p>"You couldn't follow me forever, though. I wouldn't let you come with me to South America and leave all your life behind."</p><p>"Maybe not. But there are phone calls, and facetime," He rested his chin on the couch, noticing how close he and Hange got over the last couple of minutes. "and you'd come back home for the holidays."</p><p>"Of course I would. We'd have to celebrate your birthday." Levi rolled his eyes but smiled regardless, he remembered how his birthday always seemed to be a big deal for Hange.</p><p>"And when you finally came back, I'd let you crash on my couch until you found a place to rent." </p><p><i> And I'd beg you to never leave me again. </i> Levi completed in his mind.</p><p>Hange noticed their proximity and blushed. Levi wondered if she had any idea how beautiful she looked right now. Messy hair, oversized clothes, and all.</p><p>Recognizing his improper thoughts, Levi shook his head.</p><p>She yawned, probably fighting to stay awake. "You sure know how to whisper sweet nothings to a girl's ears, Mr. Ackerman... What would your mother say, huh?"</p><p>He scoffed. "I wonder..."</p><p>"Is she alright, by the way... I'm sorry I haven't asked before, I guess I just forgot."</p><p>"She died when I was in college." Hange gasped, her eyes grew wider. </p><p>She recomposed herself pretty quickly and squeezed his hand to comfort him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."</p><p>"You couldn't have known, it's okay."</p><p>She opened her mouth, but then closed it just as fast, considering her next words. "May I ask what happened?"</p><p>Levi nodded. With his free hand, he reached for the neglected beer next to him. This wasn't a topic he liked to reminiscent about, but Hange deserved the truth. "She had breast cancer. Everything was under control until a routine appointment with her doctor, she found out it had spread to her lungs."</p><p>Hange let go of his hand. Levi secretly missed that source of warmth and comfort. The undesired feeling was short-lived because, in the next moments, she placed one arm around his shoulders while the other squeezed his arm lightly. </p><p>"I'm so sorry, Levi." She hugged him sideways.</p><p>Feeling bold, but also needing sympathy, Levi leaned into Hange's embrace, welcoming her affection and accepting her words. </p><p>"Thank you."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading.</p><p>Feedback is appreciated!</p><p>By the way, I'm working on a new Levihan fanfiction and I'll probably post it soon. It's a different AU, with more references to canon material, not solely focusing on romance. I'm freaking out cause I never wrote something with action or fight scenes in it, so I'm just praying that it isn't boring or dumb. I'd also be using they/them pronouns for Hange in that work. Anyway, I hope you'll check it out too!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Paying the past a visit.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>An event drags Hange back to her hometown, Levi offers to accompany her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First of all, I'd like to apologize for making you all wait so long for this chapter, I had a small confidence crisis with this fanfic and considered abandoning this story altogether, but I'm feeling better now and I already started working on the next chapter.</p><p>Shout out to my cousin, Isa, who helped me when I was feeling unmotivated to continued writing.</p><p>I hope this is worth the wait!</p><p>Trigger warning: descriptions of a panic attack.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i> Levi's father never came looking for him. He never called his house, his school, or his mom's workplace. He never showed up unannounced outside his apartment door and fought to get inside. He never begged to be a part of his son's life again. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Initially, Levi felt relieved, one less asshole in his life to deal with. He survived almost eleven years of his life without a father, he didn't need one now. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Then, casually, he started doubting himself, a raised brow whenever Erwin mentioned going on a fishing trip with his father or an itch in the back of his neck when Levi accompanied his mother to a parent-teacher conference at school. Those anxious moments became regular and soon Levi was struggling to breathe, to relax after spotting a father playing with their child in the park near his home.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He never realized how dysfunctional his family was until then. Aside from his dad, the only other paternal figure in his life was his uncle Kenny. And that wasn't saying much, the man was either missing for weeks or drunk off his ass whenever Levi happened to meet with him.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>It wasn't until Levi had a panic attack at the sight of Erwin's dad ruffling his hair in history class that he considered something was truly wrong with him.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He sensed his breath falter and his heart race. Suddenly, his body grew hotter and he felt sweat dripping down his forehead - an odd thing since it was almost November. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>It was only when Isabel shook his shoulder that Levi's attention was seized again. He focused his eyes ahead and saw Mr. Smith mouthing something to him. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>No, the man had asked Levi a question.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Are, you feeling alright, son?" There, that's what he said. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Son. Why did he say that?</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Levi?" He heard Isabel's voice and turned around to face his friend. "You're really pale. Are you feeling alright?" She asked, her eyes wide with worry.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi looked down at the piece of paper crushed in his fist. He didn't realize he was squeezing the notebook until he let it go. The last thing he remembered was Mr. Smith messing Erwin's hair and then his pen falling on the ground.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>His hands were shaking, Levi made a conscious effort to normalize his breathing again.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'm fine." He assured, but his voice was so faint that only Isabel heard. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Mr. Smith called the nurse's office and then Levi was taken off the class. He looked back one more time to see everyone's confused looks while the teacher tried to grasp the students' attention again.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi's hands didn't stop shaking for the next twenty minutes he spent in the nurse's office waiting for his mom.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You appear to be fine, physically." The blonde woman said. She was small, well, smaller than him, anyway. "With the symptoms you described, a panic attack is the most likely diagnose." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi didn't have time to answer. In the next moment, the principal's secretary walked into the infirmary and called for him. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Your mom's here to pick you up." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Mrs. Carter, the school's secretary, gave Levi the backpack he left in the classroom and resumed walking away.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi got up from where he was sitting and followed the other woman out. The nurse shot him an assuring smile and waved, but Levi ignored the gesture. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You didn't have to pick me up." He said as soon as he met his mother outside. The woman held a worried expression and grabbed Levi's face with both hands once he was close enough to her grasp.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"How are you feeling?" She asked and turned Levi's face from left to right, looking for injuries like she always did when Levi got home too late. Then she placed the back of her hand on Levi's forehead to check his temperature. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'm fine, mom. Seriously. The nurse already examined me." He explained, trying his best not to sound like an annoying brat, but they were still outside the school, and people walking by started staring. "Shouldn't you be at work?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>She looked annoyed but dropped her hands at her sides. "They called and said you weren't feeling well. I needed to come and see if you were okay."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I'm feeling better now." She raised an eyebrow questioning. "The nurse said it was a panic attack or whatever. Can we go?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Her mouth fell slightly open, but she nodded and started walking towards the old car parked nearby. His mother dropped him at the apartment and then left for work again, promising to talk later.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi wasn't feeling too enthusiastic about that talk. He wasn't enthusiastic about a lot of things lately. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Once he passed through their apartment front door, he walked straight to his bedroom and slept until nighttime, only waking up to the sound of his mother cooking dinner. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi grabbed his phone and confirmed it was already late evening. With a loud sigh, he dropped to the bed again. Now my sleep schedule is all messed up.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Eventually, Levi found out what his mom needed to discuss, she wanted him to see a therapist again. She argued that since they received the news about his father, Levi had been more anxious, almost desperate. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>So there was where he sat now, at the therapist's office, having trouble talking again. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi stared at the light blue wall behind the woman, the sea painting that hung on the wall was surprisingly more interesting than Dr. Paula's green-eyed gaze. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi was grateful that she wasn't the same therapist he used to see when he was a kid, that was the only requirement he asked his mom to fulfill before agreeing to meet up with the woman once a week. It would be too embarrassing having to talk to someone that knew about his past. It might be childish, but Levi didn't want anyone else to know his weak spots.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"When I talked to your mother last week, she mentioned that you had a panic attack at school." The woman started. Levi's lips turned up, just a little, proud for making the therapist be the first one to break the silence. "Do you know what might have triggered it?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"No." Levi wasn't proud to admit, but he couldn't define what got him feeling uneasy that day during class, or all the other days before it. "It never happened before."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>A half-lie, but a half-truth too. It never happened to that extent before.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Alright." She smiled. "I won't force you to talk about that experience if you're not comfortable yet."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Thank-fucking-god." Levi whispered.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Why don't you tell me about your day, then?" She ignored him or maybe didn't hear him swear. "How was school? Are you part of any clubs?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>At that, Levi loosened up his stiff muscles. Talking about school was easy, he didn't need to lie or mask the events to prevent the woman from finding out about his vulnerability.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>In the end, keeping things from Dr. Paula was pointless, she found out during their 12th session, back then, Levi felt more comfortable talking about his day. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>She didn't ask about his panic attack anymore, probably waiting for him to bring it up, but she did help him on how to deal with it. She suggested breathing exercises for when he was feeling uneasy and asked him to start a journal. The journal didn't work, Levi kept drawing on the white pages instead of writing on them, but that sketchbook proved to be an effective way to deal with his emotions. Levi wasn't the best artist and had no intention to be, but he liked filling page after page, seeing the completed work gave him a sense of fulfillment. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"He asked me if I wanted to go camping with them, but no thanks..."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Why?" Dr. Paula asked as she went through Levi's journal. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>It became part of their session routine for the woman to analyze Levi's doodles and drawings. If she was able to take anything important out of those pages, Levi had no idea, but she did compliment him on multiples occasions.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Why?" Levi mocked. "Do you really need to ask? The idea of being in the woods with just Erwin and his dad for three days and not being able to shower is not exactly the most inviting situation."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>A pause. "Levi, I've been noticing a pattern in your decisions. Do you want me to tell you?" Levi raised a brow but nodded. It was a norm for the brunette to ask him if he wanted to hear her educated opinions, but it rarely happened.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Have you ever noticed how you hate not being in control of the situation?" She asked, finally looking up from the sketchbook and into Levi's eyes. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>He hated staring at them, it felt like she was reading into his soul. No matter what he'd tell her, she could see right through his facade. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>His eyes widened slightly in recognition, noticing how his recent neurotic feelings and thoughts supported her theory.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"What gave you that idea? Just because I don't like being dirty during the whole weekend doesn't mean I have to be in control at all times."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>The woman shift in the armchair, uncrossing her legs. She didn't respond, a sign for Levi to continue his speech.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"My dad always liked things clean, I guess I got that habit from him."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You never mentioned your father before."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I assumed you knew." She shook her head. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi pressed his lips together, frustrated. He thought that his mother would've told the therapist about his father by now, after all, she was the one who noticed why Levi was feeling restless and suggested he seek help.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"There's not much to say, I haven't seen him in years."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Does he live in another city?" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi shrugged. "He was in jail, I don't wanna talk about it."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You never wanna talk about it, Levi." She pointed out. Her tone wasn't angry, but she was firm. "Have you never thought that maybe that's the problem? I'm here to listen to you, to help. But there's only so much I can do with a filled sketchbook and snippets from your day."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Then maybe you're not that good of a therapist." He snapped but closed his mouth just as fast as the words came out. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi dropped his head to stare at the dark brown carpet in her office, suddenly feeling embarrassed for his outburst. It wasn't her fault that his life was so messed up. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"My dad was an asshole. When he was arrested, we had to move here." He remembered how he hated the city at first and groaned. "Now he's out or whatever, I haven't talked to him since then." He scoffed. "I'm not even sure I remember his face anymore." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>He knew his father was tall, he knew the man had brown hair and dark brown eyes, but those were just details Levi learned, he didn't actually remember those characteristics. It didn't help that Levi was essentially a clone of his mother either, but he was secretly thankful that he didn't share any physical attributes with the man. He was grateful for the lack of photos or homemade videotapes, the lack of those things shielded him knowing.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>As if sensing his delicate temper, Dr. Paula took her time phrasing the next words. "I'm assuming you didn't have a good relationship with him in the past." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi had to hold down an ironic laugh. "You'd be correct."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>She furrowed her brows together, confused. "You said he's not in jail anymore, when did he get out?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Why does it matter? Levi thought. "Like five, six months ago." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Levi, remember when I asked you what could've triggered your panic attack in our first session?" He finally looked up.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"So?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Don't you think those two incidents might be linked? Your father getting out of jail, your panic attack..."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"This is stupid..." Levi muttered to himself. "My father doesn't affect me anymore."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I think he does. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it would be weird if it didn't affect you." </i>
</p><p>
  <i>He didn't respond to her explanations. Instead, he focused on the sea painting behind her, a familiar habit. Another painting had been hung on the wall recently, the new frame held a picture of a boat sunk on the beach, one lone sailor looking at the ocean.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi didn't want to admit that Dr. Paula was right. The panic attack and his father leaving prison were correlated, he had been stupid not to figure it out sooner, it would've saved a lot of the money his mother was spending on these sessions.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I think that you need to exercise control over the aspects of your life that you can to compensate for the ones you couldn't. Like moving to another city, or whatever happened when your family fell apart." She reasoned. "Those were things that you couldn't control. And when something happens now and it's out of your reach, you avoid dealing with it."</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi recalled the day he received the news about his father. He compulsively cleaned the entire house and then joined Erwin's club the next day. Maybe that was some truth to her theory.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"What about the panic attacks?" He struggled to get the words out.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"They happen when something triggers your flight-or-fight response." She explained, quite didactic.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Levi was transported to that day in class, almost three months ago. One minute, Mr. Smith was ruffling his son's hair, the next, Levi was a kid again, scare under his father's grip.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I like things clean. Is this such a bad thing?" </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"Of course not, this is a really helpful skill to acquire and it's gonna help you a lot in your adult life." She pressed her lips together, considering her next words. "But we still need to ask ourselves: Why am I doing this and does it affect me positively or negatively?"</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Dr. Paula encouraged Levi to go on the camping trip with Erwin and his father. Her words stayed in his mind, like an annoying reminder, a piece of uncalled advice. Later, Levi had to begrudgingly admit the trip wasn't all that bad. He still despised the lack of basic hygiene or having to share a tent with Erwin, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Mr. Smith didn't talk much and respected Levi's reserved nature, Erwin still teased him occasionally, but being away from school and distant from their classmate's prying eyes left their banter less like an annoying competition and more like playful and mutual understanding.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>There was something inexplicably peaceful about waking up while the world was still asleep. Levi left the tent while the sun was far from rising, quietly and carefully dodging Erwin's body to avoid waking up his friend. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>The lake they camped close by flickered under the nearly gone moonlight. Levi stared at the moon's reflection oscillating on the water, hiding behind a thin layer of fog coming from the forest. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>It was a serene sight, Levi wished he could stay by the lake for longer. He felt no pressures there, no burdens and no restraints. He felt... free. He saved that feeling and that view in his mind, so whenever he felt caged or trapped, he could drown in its tranquility.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>It was cold, unfortunately, so he decided to reignite the small campfire and prepare breakfast for them, the sun would be up soon. He took off his gloves to better manage the ingredients and, for a few minutes before he started cooking, he rubbed his hands together, close to the flames so he could get warmer. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>"You didn't have to do all this, son," Erwin's father said while they were all eating.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>There was that word again. Levi stiffened for a second before relaxing and ignoring Mr. Smith's statement. It didn't mean anything, it was just a mannerism, a quirk.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"I wanted to." He kept his gaze on the food. It wasn't anything grand, just bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>"It's good, thanks Levi," Levi stole a glance at his friend, but Erwin was too preoccupied eating to notice his inspecting gaze.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>He noticed, during their small getaway, that he didn't need to be in control of every moment. That trip wasn't planned, but it was nice. Moving to a new city wasn't planned, no, it was disorganized, terrifying, and left Levi lost for a long time. But meeting Farlan, Isabel, and even Erwin was a sudden and kind addition. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>Something happening unexpectedly wasn't the equivalent of bad, dangerous, or harmful. Maybe Levi couldn't control most situations, but he could still work on how he reacted to these unpredictable scenarios. He could learn how to adapt his feelings to uncertain circumstances, and perhaps it would be just as easy as camping, or waking up earlier and cooking a meal for a friend - not because he wanted things his way, but because he wanted to help.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Maybe, every once in a while, he could trust someone close to take control for him. </i>
</p>
<hr/><p>In the last month since Hange moved into the building, she started showing up at the cafe and staying until the closing time just so Levi would give her a ride home. He didn't mind helping her, of course, Hange's work was close to the shop and it made sense for them to drive home together. She even started helping him with gas costs, and soon, the ride back home extended to a ride for work every morning.</p><p>That day, however, Hange didn't show up. She always texted Levi if she needed to stay in the Museum past 8 p.m, but it wasn't the case that Thursday night. Levi sent her a message half an hour before closing, and then called her number while waiting in the parking lot. No answer.</p><p>Swallowing his concerns, Levi drove home alone. The sudden quietness left a weird anxious feeling in his stomach. He turned on the radio, but Johnny Cash's deep baritone voice did nothing to calm down his nerves. </p><p>He couldn't believe his thoughts, but he missed the cheerful and energetic playlists Hange would play every day to work. He didn't just miss her playlists, he missed her. The realization hit him like a cold splash of water to the face.</p><p>Levi missed Hange's excited voice telling him a joke she heard at work - even if didn't get the joke at all, he wasn't an Archeologist, for God's sake. He missed her loud and unashamed laughter and surprisingly tuned singing voice.</p><p>He also missed their quiet moments together, whenever she'd just show up at his apartment on the weekends with a load of work and ask if she could use his couch for a couple of hours. He'd slip her a cup of tea and they'd sit in comfortable silence as she filled report after report.  </p><p>He liked those mornings the best, he could sneak glances at Hange while she was too focused on her work to realize. He could use the opportunity to learn more about her. He noticed how she bit the pen cap in concentration and how she liked - no, she needed to listen to music while writing, otherwise, her mind would be too eager to wander somewhere else.</p><p>Most of all, while he was alone in his car, Levi realized how he missed the feeling of accomplishment that Hange provided when they were together.</p><p>Once he parked his car, he went straight to Hange's apartment. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed the light creeping under the door, so he knew she was home. He knocked on the door once, twice, and three times before calling her name, she didn't answer. </p><p>Pressing his lips together, Levi made a bold decision and turned in the handle, the door wasn't locked.</p><p>"Hange?" He called as he closed the door, but again, no one replied.</p><p>His eyes roamed over the living room and the kitchen, the place was a little untidy, her coat and some books laid carelessly on the couch, the sink was full of unwashed dishes. Surprisingly, it wasn't too dirty. </p><p>
  <i> Yeah, if the place is messy, then Hange's definitely around. </i>
</p><p>Levi squinted his eyes to see if the brunette wasn't on the balcony outside taking care of her plants. </p><p>A little over a week after moving in, Hange had started decorating her apartment with different flowers and plants. She even brought several books about gardening and started a small one on her balcony. At first, she planted small leaves to spice her food, like mint, rosemary, parsley, and basil, but soon she got bored of those and decided to plant tomatoes, lettuce and chard.</p><p>Hange took good care of her garden too, she often spent most of her free time looking after it and making sure the plants were growing strong.</p><p>He walked the small corridor to her room and let out a relieved breath once he found her dancing around in a disgustingly bright yellow shirt. She had headphones on and was mumbling the words of a song Levi didn't recognize.</p><p>"Four eyes!" He called again, annoyed this time, she still didn't listen. </p><p>Defeated, Levi leaned against the doorframe, studying how long Hange would take to notice he was watching her. </p><p>Examining the room, he saw that different clothes and a small suitcase were lying on the mattress. Hange took more filled clothes hangers out of the closet and turned around to drop them on the bed, finally seeing Levi.</p><p>She didn't scream, but her face twisted in a frightening way, her eyes shot open and her mouth fell to cry out. She let a relieved huff of breath go once she realized it was just Levi.</p><p>"Why were you watching me like a creep?" She managed to ask, breathing heavy. </p><p>"You always barge in my apartment unannounced..." He rolled his eyes. "Scared the shit out of me the last time..." </p><p>He was brewing his tea one morning and turned around to encounter Hange standing right beside him. Levi wasn't an easy person to scare, he didn't scream or run away in fear, but in the few seconds it took for him to realize that Hange was the one who stood next to him silently, he had already knocked the teacup to the ground and spilled tea and broken porcelain shards all over the kitchen.</p><p>Hange had apologized profoundly, that is, after laughing for fifteen minutes straight. With Levi's directions, she brewed him a new cup and then promised to buy him a new tea set the following week. </p><p>Hange seemed to remember the same moment, her lips turned up in a small smirk. </p><p>"You should've seen your face... Looked like you shitted yourself." She contained her giggles as Levi folded both arms over his chest, annoyed. "Hey, in my defense, you gave me a copy of your keys!"</p><p>"To water the plants, Hange! Your plants, by the way."</p><p>As if the small garden in her place wasn't enough, Hange started bringing new plants to his home. Initially, Levi barely noticed the small succulents on his shelves, hiding behind photographs and books, but one day, after he arrived home from a run and noticed a cactus laying on his office desk, he was properly confused.</p><p>The plants kept showing up, from cactus to flowers and from flowers to big potted plants. Oddly enough, Levi didn't care about the changes in his decoration, if anything, he thought the plants were an improvement to the rather dull apartment - he didn't mind the fresh smell of Lilies or Tulips that infiltrated the place either. </p><p>When he confronted Hange, his prime suspect, about it, she just shrugged and said that there was a gardening shop center close to her work and that she sneaked in the plants to his apartment whenever Levi was too distracted to see. </p><p>Now, every other day, before or after work, Hange would grab her spare key to Levi's apartment and drop by to water their plants. This addition to their routine wasn't an inconvenience, the thought behind Hange's actions was kind, something Levi learned to appreciate.</p><p>"Don't you dare talk about our plants like that, they need a father, Levi." Hange kept her expression serious, but Levi knew the playful tone she often used to mess with him.</p><p>He shook his head and sighed. "Whatever, that's not the point," Hange tilted her head to the left, a curious look in her eyes. "You left your door open, dumbass. What if someone else came in here?"</p><p>"I wouldn't worry much, you'd obviously come in to save me." She rolled her eyes and then begun putting the mess of clothes inside her suitcase.</p><p>Levi cringed at the way Hange was folding the fabric, it wouldn't fit everything if she just kept gathering the clothes into balls and dropping them inside the bag. </p><p>"Not like this, Hange," He walked to the bed and sat down next to her, starting to fold the clothes properly. Hange smiled tenderly. "You didn't show up today." He stated. A hidden question behind his words, <i> why didn't you? </i></p><p>Hange scratched the back of her neck and sighed loudly. Levi focused on folding the clothes, giving her space to answer.</p><p>"I'm sorry." </p><p>"I didn't ask for an apology." <i> Just tell me what happened. </i></p><p>"Last month, I got a letter from my high school about the tenth-year reunion," Hange started, fiddling with the clothes absentmindedly. Levi raised a brow, questioning. "I didn't reply, so they called me today to confirm if I'd show up."</p><p>"I take it that you're going." He motioned to the mess on the bed.</p><p>"I guess... I want to, but..." She exhaled, lost for words for the first time since Levi meet her again. "I don't know."</p><p>And then he remembered, Hange didn't have a good experience in high school. Levi didn't know the details but just thinking about Hange secluded from everyone else made him grit his teeth.</p><p>"I didn't go to my high school reunion," Levi placed a folded shirt in the suitcase, the bag was neatly organized now and would most likely fit the huge pile of clothes Hange wanted to take. "Erwin gave me shit about it for a week too."</p><p>"What? When was that?"</p><p>"September, before you moved in."</p><p>She hummed understandably. "But what about your old classmates?"</p><p>He shrugged. "I keep everyone that matters close."</p><p>"Wasn't there anyone you wanted to meet again? Not one person?"</p><p>Levi stopped what he was doing and closed his eyes. If he tried, he could remember Farlan's blue eyes and assuring smile or Isabel's red hair and loud laugh.</p><p>He smiled fondly at the memory. </p><p>"Yes, Farlan and Isabel..." He opened his eyes to stare at Hange, her mouth was slightly open, the corners of her lips turning up. "In the end, Erwin saved my ass. He met them at the reunion and asked for their number. I called them the next day and we went out for dinner."</p><p>"Do you still keep in touch?" </p><p>Levi nodded. "Yeah, we still go out every once in a while..."</p><p>The last time they went out was to celebrate Isabel's new job as an English teacher in a middle school nearby. Isabel lied to the waitress and said it was her birthday so they all got free cake by the end of the night. Hange would love to meet her.</p><p>As if reading his mind, Hange started "I'd love to meet them one day, I'll treat you all for dinner."</p><p>"I'll hold you up to that." After a pause, he considered the next words. "Hange, do you really wanna go?" </p><p>"Well, it would be nice to visit my parents and to see Nifa again..." She averted his gaze.</p><p>There was more to her decision than that, but Levi didn't pester her. If Hange wanted him to know what frustrated her so much, she'd simply tell.</p><p>"When's the reunion?"</p><p>"This Saturday night, I'll leave Friday after work..."</p><p>His mind was contemplating several options. Levi could leave the cafe in Petra's hands for the day and they could return Sunday afternoon, he considered.</p><p>Going back to his hometown was something Levi couldn't achieve even when his mother was still alive, so driving there now seemed pointless. Visiting meant going back to Hange's childhood home, the house which was right next to the one he grew up in... The thought of staying so close gave him chills, but the idea of sending Hange alone there to deal with insensitive acquaintances left him no other choice.</p><p>"Then I'll go with you."</p><p>"What?" She turned right, gripping his arm subconsciously.</p><p>"You heard me. I'll go with-" He didn't have time to finish, the next thing he felt was Hange's arms going over his shoulders and embracing him in a tight hug. </p><p>It felt awkward in the beginning, Hange kept hugging him close and laughing excitingly while Levi stood stiff like a mannequin, both hands paralyzed at his sides, thanks to the brunette's sudden movement. </p><p>Slowly, Levi returned the gesture. He gently pressed his hands at Hange's back, bringing her close. She smelled like the mint gums she always chewed, he thought. </p><p>Hange was the one to pull away first, leaving a sour taste in Levi's mouth. "Do you wanna stay for dinner?"</p><p>"I thought you'd never ask."</p>
<hr/><p>"Don't you have anything better to listen to than pop tunes from twenty years ago?" Levi cringed at Hange's song choice.</p><p>She stopped screaming to Britney Spears' Womanizer to answer him. "There's nothing better than 2000s pop music, Levi."</p><p>"I beg to differ." </p><p>"I love when men beg." She sang. </p><p>Levi ignored the burning sensation on his cheeks and looked down, laughing and pretending to scroll through his phone.</p><p>Friday arrived quickly and it was a busy day in the cafe. Everything Levi wanted to do after getting home late from work was to take a shower and go straight to bed. Hange must have noticed how truly exhausted he was because she offered to drive to their hometown. </p><p>Levi was skeptical about Hange's driving ability, if not a little bit scared, but the brunette made a convincing case about passing her driver's test on the first try and never getting a ticket.</p><p>Levi didn't mind waking up early Saturday to drive, but looking at Hange's eyes glistening with excitement about finally seeing her parents again after months had him accepting the offer.</p><p>"Why don't you own a car?" He asked then.</p><p>"Why own a car when I have a friend who can drive me wherever I want?" She teased.</p><p>As a thank-you gift for offering to drive, Levi promised to let her choose their soundtrack for the journey, a promise that was slowly proving to be the wrong decision. Hange's playlist included a bunch of old pop music like Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Backstreet Boys.</p><p>"And here I thought nothing could be worse than your morning playlists..." He mumbled.</p><p>"I have a very eclectic taste, Levi. I can enjoy any type of music without judgments, you know." Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "I bet you were an emo kid in high school." </p><p>Levi rolled his eyes. "You wish."</p><p>"What? So if I put Welcome to The Black Parade right now, you won't know the whole lyrics?"</p><p>The silence that followed was filled with guilt. </p><p>"I didn't say that."</p><p>Hange laughed, her eyes almost closing and a smile so wide that it formed small dimples on her cheek. Levi let his gaze linger for a minute before turning away and staring at the road. Good thing Hange was actually a good driver and paid attention to the streets, otherwise, she would've caught Levi's creepy stare. </p><p>As time passed, Hange's playlist proved to be as diverse as she claimed. It slowly changed from 2000's pop music to ABBA songs and then David Bowie and Pink Floyd. Levi almost fell asleep while listening to Space Oddity. </p><p>The trip wasn't long but he caught himself wishing for traffic just so he could spend a little more time alone with Hange, obnoxious singing and all.</p>
<hr/><p>Arriving at Hange's childhood home was unexpectedly nostalgic, a good thing Levi learned how to deal with unexpected things.</p><p>They parked outside and left the car holding their suitcases. Levi unconsciously looked left, to his old house. The walls were painted bright yellow now, the fence was bigger and there were multiple potted plants on the front porch. It felt lighter, happier than it ever was when Levi lived there. The construction was the same, but it was nothing like his first home.</p><p>Levi wanted to ask about the new residents, but Hange beat him to it. She told him that an old couple lived there now with their grandchild, she explained that the house was usually filled with other kids playing around in the backyard.</p><p>As she motioned for him to follow, Hange's mom, Alicia, opened the front door and enveloped her daughter in a tight hug. The woman was nothing like Hange, except for the hair color, which was slowly turning grey.</p><p>"Ah, Hange!" Alicia loosened the grip but still held both Hange's arms carefully, assessing her daughter's appearance. "Have you been eating properly?"</p><p>Hange sighed annoyed. "Yes mom, thanks to Levi!" She took a step back and grabbed Levi's arm to pull him closer. "Remember, Levi? I told you he was coming."</p><p>"Of course I remember," Alicia waved her hands dismissively before turning to Levi with a soft smile. "You've grown so much, Levi."</p><p>Before he could answer, Hange interrupted. "I think you're the first person to tell him that."</p><p>"Hange!" She pinched her daughter's forearm in punishment. "Ignore her, she never learned proper manners."</p><p>"Don't worry, I'm quite used to it," Levi smirked and eyed Hange, she had a big pout and massaged the place her mother pinched just a few seconds ago.</p><p>"Like you're miss congeniality..." She murmured.</p><p>"Now, don't argue outside. Come in, come in!" </p><p>Alicia led them inside. After leaving their shoes and coats by the front door, they walked a small hallway to the living room.</p><p>Hange's house felt familiar, like a deja vu or an old dream he vigorously tried to forget. The two dark brown couches still looked the same as before, just like the greyish carpet and the armchair Hange's father used to fall asleep in. </p><p>Hange mumbled something, probably asking for her father, Levi couldn't tell, her voice was muffled as he took in the almost forgotten environment.</p><p>Levi noticed the small changes in decoration, more paintings, and different family photos hung on the walls. He caught a glimpse of Mr. Zoë's office and smiled at the memories of him and Hange playing hide and seek. Levi would always disappear in that book-clouded room.</p><p>Alicia's voice infiltrated his ears again. "Your father's asleep already, honey. You two can talk tomorrow, I'm sure Levi's tired."</p><p>At that, Hange turned back to face him with an apologetic look. "Yeah, I'm pretty tired too." </p><p>They finally arrived at the staircase, a narrow, dimly lit path that only allowed one person at a time. The stairs were a lot bigger in Levi's seven-year-old memories. He had, in fact, grown-up, even if Hange liked to tease him about it.</p><p>Alicia guided the way and ascended the steps, Hange followed, and after her, Levi. </p><p>"I left everything ready for you two," Alicia opened the door to the first room on the right, Hange's old bedroom. </p><p>It was completely different from what Levi remembered, and it wasn't messy like her new room either - probably because Hange didn't sleep there anymore to make a mess.</p><p>The walls were painted a light yellow, the small single bed from twenty years ago was replaced with a queen-size mattress on a metal bed frame. There were posters about space glue on the walls and a young Leonardo Dicaprio cardboard cut-out glued to the closet doors.</p><p>The biggest surprise, however, was the painted ceiling. The wall was decorated with drawings of the solar system, lone stars, and traced constellations. </p><p>Levi contained a laugh. </p><p>"Don't," Hange warned and dropped her suitcase on her recently made bed. "Everyone loved Leo, okay?"</p><p>"Oh, Hange was obsessed with him," Alicia told them from the door. "Once I caught her making out-"</p><p>"MOM!" One second, Hange was by the bed, the next, she was running towards her mother and pushing the woman outside. "Thankyousomuchwe'regoingtobednowbye!" She closed the door, Levi could still hear Alicia laughing outside.</p><p>Levi placed his suitcase on the bed next to Hange's before crossing his arms smugly. "I knew you were lonely as a teenager, but kissing a cardboard cut-out?" He teased.</p><p>"Shut up, you fucking emo."</p><p>He chuckled and looked at the ceiling again, taking in all the details. "You were really in love with space, huh?" </p><p>"Yeah. I still am." She walked closer. "My mom helped me with those, I sucked at art."</p><p>That's right. Alicia is an artist. He remembered the woman wearing white aprons stained with a rainbow of colors and different size brushes sticking out of her pockets.</p><p>Levi hummed and then dropped on the bed, the mattress wiggled under his weight.</p><p>"We're sharing a room." He stated.</p><p>Hange nodded. She followed his example and sat down too, facing Levi.</p><p>"You know we don't have a guest room, but there's a spare mattress, so..." </p><p>She tilted her head towards the corner of the room, Levi followed the action and found a single mattress waiting in a corner.</p><p>"At least I don't have to pay for a hotel room."</p><p>"Who said you won't have to pay?" </p><p>Thinking fast, Levi grabbed the pillow laying next to him on the bed and threw it in Hange's direction. She seized the pillow mid-air with a giggle and swung her arms to hit him in the face. The blow wasn't strong, but Levi felt too tired to fight back. </p><p>The mattress shifted again and soon Hange was kneeling next to him.</p><p>"You shouldn't attack" another hit "the person" another "who's sheltering" one more "you!"</p><p>She sunk on the bed next to him, laughing breathless. </p><p>Levi probably looked like a mess right now, he sensed his face getting flushed and his hair disheveled. He ignored the feeling, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.</p><p>He squinted at the ceiling. "Are those... notes?"</p><p>Now that he was studying at the painted wall, he noticed small letters and dots flickering next to the planets drawn.</p><p><i> "Saturn's orbit around the sun takes 29 years to be complete." </i> He read out loud.</p><p>"Ah, yeah, I was in sixth grade and thought the best way to study before a test was to stare at those notes all night." Levi yawned, feeling his consciousness slipping away. "Wait until you see... they glow in the dark..." Hange murmured, her voice sounded distant as Levi shifted to sleep.</p><p>The last thing he remembered was warm fingers stroking his hair away from his face, lightly brushing his forehead in the process.</p>
<hr/><p>The first thing Levi noticed as he woke up in the middle of the night was the harsh fabric of his pants marking his skin. He couldn't believe he slept with his jeans on, he must have been extremely tired or... extremely comfortable in that somewhat new situation despite his clothes.</p><p>The second choice seemed more likely. He was still sprawled on Hange's bed, but he was tucked inside two thick layers of blankets. His shoes were taken off and both suitcases that laid on top of the bed before were nowhere to be found.</p><p>As he moved to lie upright in the bed, his eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room. Small dots slowly appeared in the ceiling, just like Hange said, the fake stars flickered in the dark, an eerie green glow illuminated the room.</p><p>The reason for his comfort was sleeping on the spare mattress on the ground, her chest rose and fell from the calm breaths she took, her mouth was slightly open. </p><p>The wire-rimmed glasses laid forgotten next to her, almost falling to the floor. Levi reached to grab the lenses and placed them on the bedside table, his eyes never left Hange's frame.</p><p>That idiot chose to sleep on the floor instead of her bed. He supposed it was his fault for falling asleep so fast... Still, she could've woken him up and kicked him out.</p><p><i>Well, what's done is done. </i> He thought as he dropped his hand down and drowse off again, not realizing that his fingers reached for Hange's, almost touching.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Again, sorry for the wait! </p><p>I'm still not sure about this chapter, but I hope you could enjoy it!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright, what do you think?</p><p>Feedback is appreciated, feel free to point out any mistakes.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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